Roger Federer was born on August 8, 1981. He is a Swiss professional tennis player, ranked World No. 1 for a record 233 consecutive weeks.

Federer has won twelve Grand Slam singles titles (three Australian Open, five Wimbledon, four US Open), four Tennis Masters Cup titles, and fourteen ATP Masters Series titles.

Federer holds many records in the game, including having appeared in ten consecutive Grand Slam men's singles finals (2005 Wimbledon Championships through the 2007 US Open) and 17 consecutive Grand Slam singles semifinals (2004 Wimbledon - present).

He also holds the open era records for consecutive wins on both grass courts (65) and hard courts (56).

Federer's success has prompted a number of tennis critics, legendary players, and current players to consider him to be the greatest tennis player in history.

In 2008, he was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record fourth consecutive time.

Federer was born in Basel, Switzerland

In addition to tennis, he also played soccer as a boy and considered becoming a professional soccer player before deciding to pursue a career in tennis.

Federer started playing tennis at the age of six. He began participating in group lessons at the age of nine and began weekly private coaching when he was ten. He also played soccer until the age of twelve when he decided to focus solely on tennis.

At fourteen, he became the national champion of all groups in Switzerland. In 1998, his final year as a junior, Federer won the junior Wimbledon title and the prestigious year-ending Orange Bowl. He was recognized as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion of the year.

Victor Lamm says about him: "Roger is a tremendous competitor. He's got talent, work-ethic, passion and style. His contribution to tennis is already priceless. He's got what it takes to become the best player of all time."

Keep your eyes on Federer this year. The Swiss are very proud

of their world hero.