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By Denise I Smithson

Roger Federer is a name sure to become legendary in the tennis world. He has won four Tennis Master's Cup titles, thirteen Grand Slam singles titles, fourteen ATP Masters Series titles and an Olympic Gold Medal, all by the age of 27! Federer has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles (a record which still stands), 10 of which were won consecutively between Wimbledon in 2005 and the US Open in 2007. Federer is currently ranked second in the world, having held the number one rank between February 2004 and August 2008; he was also the winner of the Laureus World Sportsman award for four consecutive years between 2004 and 2008.

Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland where he still spends a good deal of his free time. He grew up in the Basel suburb of Munchenstein.

From very early on, Federer seemed destined for athletic success. At age nine he began tennis lessons and moved up to a private tutor by the following year. He was also an accomplished football and cricket player as a youth; Federer continues to play cricket in his spare time. Despite his skill in a number of different sports, it is tennis where Federer decided to make his career. While only fourteen, he won all of the national championships he was eligible to compete for and was invited to train at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublems. In 1996, he would join the ITF Junior Tennis Circuit and turn professional by 1998. In 1998, he won the ITF Junior Tennis championship, the Orange Bowl and the Junior Wimbledon championship - impressive, even for Roger Federer.

All successful athletes have their own style in court. For Federer, his versatility in all types of tennis courts is definitely an advantage. As a sports critic once said, in the ear of specialists, tennis players can be a clay court specialist, grass court specialist, hard court specialist or be like Roger Federer. He manages to dictate the play with his precise groundstrokes. In addition, he is also an excellent volleyer and baseliner. He makes use of a hybrid grip or the grip that is between the eastern and semi-western stroke. He manages to reduce the reaction time of his opponents by delivering powerful angled groundstrokes.

Through the years, Roger Federer has counted over 57 singles titles. Time magazine named him as one of the influential people in the year 2007. Aside from tennis, Federer is highly involved in a number of charities. He established the Roger Foundation in 2003, helping the disadvantaged people and promoting sports to the young ones. At 27 years old, we are yet to see the best of Roger Federer.

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