Roger Federer (German pronunciation: [ˈfeːdərər]; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennisplayer who, as of November 2013, is ranked world no. 6 by the ATP. Numerous commentators, pundits, former and current players of the sport have regarded Federer as the greatest tennis player of all time.[a]
He holds several men's world records of the Open Era: holding the world no. 1 position for 302 weeks overall;[15][16] including a 237-consecutive-week stretch at the top from 2004 to 2008;[17] winning 17Grand Slam singles titles; reaching the finals of each Grand Slam tournament at least five times (an all-time record); and reaching the Wimbledon final eight times. He is one of seven men, and one of four in the Open Era, to capture the career Grand Slam. Federer also shares the Open Era record for most titles at the Australian Open with Agassi and Novak Djokovic (4), at Wimbledon with Pete Sampras(7) and at the US Open with Jimmy Connors and Sampras (5).
Federer has appeared in 24 men's Grand Slam finals, with 10 in a row, both records, and appeared in 18 of 19 finals from the 2005 Wimbledon Championships through to the 2010 Australian Open. He is the only man to reach at least the semifinals of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open.[18] At the 2013 Australian Open, he reached a record 33rd Grand Slam semi-final, and at the 2013 French Open a record 36th consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final. He has also won the most matches, 260, in men's Grand Slam tournaments.
Federer's ATP tournament records include winning six ATP World Tour Finals, playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (a record shared with Djokovic and Nadal), and having won the most prize money of any player in history, with over $78,000,000. He also won the Olympic gold medalin doubles with his compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and the Olympic silver medal in singles at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. He spent eight years (2003–2010) continuously in the top 2 in the year-end men's rankings and ten (2003–2012) in the top 3. Federer is the first tennis player, male or female, to earn more than 50 Million US Dollars in prize money.
Federer has won the ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favourite Award a record eleven times straight (2003–2013) and the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award (voted for by the players) a record nine times (2004–2009, 2011–2013),[19] both being awards indicative of respect and popularity. He also won the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award twice in 2006 and 2013. He was named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record four consecutive years (2005–2008).[20] Federer is at times referred to as the Federer Express,[21] shortened to Fed Express or FedEx, and the Swiss Maestro,[21] or just Maestro.[21][22][23][24] Federer is the first Swiss male player to win a grand slam tournament.
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Catalan: [rəfəˈɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə], Spanish: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]; born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player and the current world No. 1. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time.[a] His success on clay has earned him the nickname "King of Clay"[b] and has led many sports journalists and commentators, as well as former and current players, to regard him as the greatest clay court player in history.[c]
Nadal has won 13 Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 26 ATP World Tour Masters 1000[21][22] and a record 14 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments. He was also a member of the winning Spain Davis Cup team in 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2011. In 2010, he became the seventh player in history and youngest of four in the Open Era to achieve the Career Grand Slam. He is only the second male player, after Andre Agassi, to complete the Career Golden Slam.
Nadal and Mats Wilander are the only players in history who have won at least two Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces—hard court, grass, and clay. By winning the 2013 French Open, Nadal became the only male player to win a single Grand Slam tournament eight times and the first to win at least one Grand Slam tournament for nine consecutive years, breaking the record of eight previously shared by Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer. Nadal holds the record for most consecutive titles at a particular tournament as a result of winning his eighth straight Monte-Carlo Masters in 2012.
He is the first Spanish player, male or female, to rank No. 1 for more than 100 weeks. He is the only Spanish player, male or female, to have won career golden slam, first Spanish male player to win Australian Open and second Spanish male player to have won Wimbledon and US Open.