| If there's one tennis player today who exhibits the | | | | He won his first ATP tournament in 2001, but his big |
| stuff that legends are made of, it has to be the | | | | accomplishment that year was when he powered the |
| current men's world number one player, Roger | | | | Swiss Davis Cup team to a 3-2 victory over the |
| Federer of Switzerland. Since gaining the top spot in | | | | United States. He was the 13th-ranked player in the |
| the men's tennis rankings in February 2004, Federer | | | | world by end-2001. |
| has been an immovable force and now holds the | | | | He won his first ATP Masters Series (AMS) final in |
| distinction of staying at number one for the | | | | Hamburg in 2002 as well as the Medibank |
| third-longest time behind only Ivan Lendl and Jimmy | | | | International title. The highlight of that year was |
| Connors. | | | | when he beat two former world number ones |
| And Federer has done it in style. In 2004, for | | | | (Russians Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov) in |
| instance, he became the first man since 1988 to win | | | | Davis Cup competition. Federer finished 2002 as |
| three out of four Grand Slam events in the same | | | | number six in the world. |
| year, capturing the championships at the US Open, | | | | It was in 2003 when Federer started to hit his stride. |
| French Open and Wimbledon. From 2003 to 2006, | | | | He started the year by winning two tournaments in a |
| Federer won an astounding seven Grand Slam singles | | | | row. In July, he also captured the Wimbledon |
| titles and was already being mentioned in the same | | | | Championships, his first Grand Slam crown. He also |
| breadth with some of the greatest tennis players of | | | | won the Tennis Masters Cup and led Switzerland to a |
| all time. | | | | semifinals appearance in David Cup action. |
| Like many of the other tennis greats, Federer took | | | | The year 2004 was the Year of Roger Federer as |
| up the game early, at age eight. He dominated the | | | | he put together one of the most dominant seasons |
| junior's circuit for several years before joining the | | | | ever seen in the open era of modern tennis. Aside |
| ATP tour in 1998, but not before an impressive reign | | | | from winning three of the four Grand Slam events, |
| as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion. By 1999, he | | | | Federer also went home with the Tennis Masters |
| was good enough to be named to the Swiss Davis | | | | Cup for the second straight year. He finished 2004 |
| Cup team. He finished the year as the youngest | | | | with a remarkable 74-6 win-loss record and was |
| player ever to be ranked among the ATP's top 100. | | | | named by Tennis Magazine as its "Player of the Year. |