How it unfolded
Laver arrived at Forest Hills having already won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. In Brisbane in January he had beaten the same opponent, Tony Roche, 7-5, 22-20, 9-11, 1-6, 6-3 in an Australian Open semi-final played in heat above 40°C — a 90-game match that set the season's tone. Rain in New York delayed the final to Monday; on wet grass Laver wore spiked shoes, dropped the first set 7-9, then found his left-handed topspin as the court dried and swept the last three 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. First prize was $16,000. He completed a second calendar Grand Slam after his 1962 amateur feat — still the only man to do it twice, and the only man in the Open Era. From 1963 to 1967 he had been barred from every major as a professional.
Why it still matters
Barely 18 months into the Open Era, a calendar Grand Slam in a full amateur-and-pro field gave the new system immediate legitimacy. No man has repeated it in more than half a century; Laver's 1969 remains the absolute benchmark for single-season dominance in men's tennis.