Roger Federer

Roger Federer is the Swiss tennis player whose five consecutive titles at Wimbledon (2003-07) and the U.S. Open (2004-08) helped make him the dominant men's player in the world. Federer turned pro in 1998 after a stellar career in junior competition. He made a name for himself in 2001 by beating defending champion Pete Sampras in a match at Wimbledon, before being knocked out himself in the quarterfinals. Federer won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 2003, and in 2004 he again won Wimbledon and added the Australian and U.S. Opens, with only a third-round loss in the French Open keeping him from the Grand Slam. In 2005 Federer won his third consecutive Wimbledon (defeating Andy Roddick in the finals for the second year in a row) and then defeated Andre Agassi for his second straight U.S. Open title. In 2006 he lost to Rafael Nadal in the finals of the French Open, beat Nadal in the finals at Wimbledon and defeated Andy Roddick to win the U.S. Open. His 2007 victories at the Australian Open, Wimbledon (again beating Nadal) and the U.S. Open, plus a 2008 win at the U.S. Open, gave him a total of 13 Grand Slam men's singles titles, one short of Sampras's career record of 14. He then tied Sampras with a win at the French Open in 2009; his win also meant he had won each of the major titles at least once. Federer married his longtime girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec, on 11 April 2009.

Extra credit: Rafael Nadal broke Federer's streak at Wimbledon in 2008, beating him in a five-set thriller for the men's singles championship... Federer's father is Swiss, but his mother is from South Africa... Federer had no coach during 2004, the year he was first ranked as the world's best tennis player... Nike first approached Federer with a sponsorship deal in 1996, two years before he turned pro... Federer has won a single French Open, but has won each of the other three tennis majors at least three times: the Australian Open in 2004, 2006 and 2007, the U.S. Open from 2004-2008, and Wimbledon in 2003-2007.