Laver reacts to the passing of Stolle: "You had to be the best to beat the best"

This Wednesday, March 5th, Australian tennis lost one of its legends, Fred Stolle, who passed away at the age of 86.

Winner of two Grand Slam singles titles and three Davis Cups with his country, Stolle left his mark on his era, and upon the announcement of his death, several tributes, including one from Rod Laver, were paid to him.

The former tennis star, after whom the center court of the Australian Open is named, expressed his sadness over the death of his friend and former rival on the circuit, on social media.

"As I wrote in my book about the golden era of Australian tennis, Fred Stolle was too nice a guy to hold a grudge. He won many Grand Slam tournaments and reached the finals of many others.

You had to be the best to beat the best. We never tired of reliving the past as we traveled the world, looking to the future with an unwavering love for this sport. We will miss you, Fiery, rest in peace," wrote Rod Laver on his X account (formerly Twitter).