The first left-handed player to win the men's singles Wimbledon Championship in the Open Era was Rod Laver of Australia. He achieved this feat in 1968, beating countryman Tony Roche in the final. Laver is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, having won 11 Grand Slam singles titles during his career. In addition to his triumphs at Wimbledon, he also won the Australian Open four times, the French Open twice, and the US Open twice.