Rafael Nadal Parera was born in Manacor, Mallorca, Spain on June 3, 1986 to Sebastian, a restaurant owner and businessman and Ana Maria. He stands at 6 feet 1 inch and weighs 189 pounds. He plays tennis with a left hand but is actually right handed off the court.

Known as simply Rafael Nadal or Rafa, this young man has ranked consistently as the number two tennis player in the world since July, 2005 next only to the great Roger Federer. Nadal started his interest in tennis at a very tender age. He played his very first tennis championship tournament at the age of 8 in Baleares.

Nadal became a tennis professional in 2001 when he was just 15 years old, winning his first ATP match and becoming the ninth player to have done so before reaching 16 years old. In 2003, when Nadal was only 16, he ranked among the top 100 singles player of the world. He was the second-youngest tennis player to have ever done so. At 17, Nadal’s debut at the Wimbledon earned him the honor of being the youngest male player to have reached the third round since 1984 after the 16-year old Boris Becker.

2005 was definitely Nadal’s year as he won two ATP Masters Series events in Rome and Monte Carlo. It was also in this year that Nadal won 24 consecutive games, breaking the record of Andre Agassi in winning 23 matches in a row in 1988. In May, 2005, Nadal had reached the top 5 ranking in the world making him the youngest player to enter the top 10 since Andrei Medvedev in 1993.

On his 19th birthday Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the semi-finals of the French Open. Two days later Nadal championed the French Open, garnering the title of being the fourth youngest tennis player to have done so. He also won his first Grand Slam event and was only the seventh player to have triumphed in their first attempt. Nadal also holds the honor of being one of the only two players in the world to have won at Roland Garros in their first try. Nadal was the first teenager to have a Grand Slam singles title since the 19-year old Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open. Since the win of Agassi in 1988, Nadal was the first teenager to have triumphed in at least six titles in the same year.

In May of 2006, Nadal crushed Federer in the Rome Masters giving him the record of winning 53 games in a row on clay. It was also in this year that Nadal went on to again conquer Federer in the 2006 French Open. He was ecstatic with his victory saying “Federer is the best player in history - no other player has ever had such quality.”

By April of 2007, Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters against Federer but Federer took revenge by winning the Hamburg Masters title against Nadal. However, in June, 2007 Nadal won his third consecutive French Open title against Roger Federer in the finals.

Roger Federer is a Swiss tennis player whose amazing achievements helped rank him along the best tennis professionals of all time. As of January 2007, Roger Federer is the world’s number 1 tennis player. Many tennis observers, including even many of his peers, believe that Federer can be the greatest tennis player ever.

Federer became the first player in 2002 since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three out of four Grand Slam singles tournaments. Federer was able to repeat this achievement in 2006 and became the first tennis players in the open era to become winners in at least ten singles championships for three consecutive years. Federer has also won 9 titles in Grand Slam men’s singles in 30 appearances, triple Tennis Masters Cup, and 12 ATP Masters singles titles. Federer is the only tennis player to win both the U.S. and the Wimbledon singles titles in three consecutive years, from 2004 to 2006.

Roger Federer was born on August 8, 1981, in Binningen near Basel, Switzerland. His parents are Robert Federer, a Swiss-German and Lynette Federer, of South African nationality. Federer considers German as his main language German, but he is also fluent in the French and English languages. Federer always conducts his press conferences in all these three language. Currently he resides in Oberwil, Switzerland and is seeing former WTA player Miroslava Vavrine, also a Swiss, who retired from tennis upon injuring her foot in 2002. Federer and Vavrine met during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

On December 2003, he established the Roger Federer Foundation, the goals of which include funding projects that would benefit disadvantaged children in South Africa. In January 2005, he spearheaded charity projects for the people who were affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Federer played as many games as possible in tournaments organized for fund-raisings with the tsunami victims as beneficiaries. He also auctioned off some of his autographed rackets to raise funds for the relief operations of UNICEF.

On April of 2006, Roger Federer was appointed an Ambassador of Goodwill to UNICEF, a world organization which assists on the needs of poor children from all parts of the world. His first official trip as a UNICEF Ambassador of Goodwill was on December of 2006, when he visited the children in the Tamil Nadu, a region in India devastated by the December 2004 tsunami.

Roger Federer’s Tennis Career

Roger Federer started playing the sport of tennis when he was six years old. Apart from tennis, he also played football until he finally decided to focus on tennis at the age of 12. When he was 14, Federer became the Swiss champion for all age groups and was selected to train at Ecublens’ Swiss National Tennis Center. In July 1996, he played at the ITF junior tennis circuit.

In 1998, Federer took both the Wimbledon juniors title and Orange Bowl. He was likewise recognized as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion for the same year. This is also the year when he joined the ATP tour. In 1999, Federer played for the first time for the Swiss Davis Cup group. He also became the youngest tennis player to belong to the top 100 ranked tennis players at ATP.

Federer’s first ATP victory happened in Milan on February 2001. During the same month, he won three matches for his country in a 3-2 Davis Cup victory over the United States.

In 2002 and 2003, Roger Federer made significant achievements at the Davis Cup and the Houston tournament respectively. In the Davis Cup, he won both singles matches against Marat Safin and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, former top Russian players. At the 2003 Houston tournament, he won the Tennis Masters Cup.

The year 2004 was Roger Federer’s one of the most successful years in the sport of men’s tennis. He was able to win three of the four of the Grand Slam singles tournament. He also won his first Australian Open title when he defeated Marat Safin. Federer was also the ITF Tennis World Champion and adjudged in 2005 as the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.

In January 2006, Roger Federer won the Australian Open when he defeated Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus. This win marked his third Grand Slam Championship. In 2006 French Open, Federer tried to pursue the only Grand Slam tournament he has yet to win. He entered the tournament as the top seed but lost the final match to Rafael Nadal, the French Open Defending Champion four sets. Although the French Open title eluded him, he became one of only two tennis players who reached the finals of all Grand Slam singles tournaments, the other one being Andre Agassi.

Buying a tennis racquet can be confusing. There are countless models out in the market, each with different weights, head sizes, lengths, and balances. Getting the right one will help you get ahead in the game. Here are some things to consider when buying a tennis racquet.

Skill level - Are you just starting out, an intermediate player, or on your way to the pros? If you’re a strong beginner, you might find some beginner’s racquets too powerful. Avoid racquets that are head-light (as opposed to head-heavy) because these are for advanced players. Those under 9.5 ounces when strung are intended for players with less powerful swings. Your best bet would be an intermediate racquet.

Head size - Intermediate and advanced players often choose midsize (85-95 sq. in.) and mid-plus (95-105 sq. in.) racquets. Oversize racquets (105-115 sq. in.) are for beginners. Super oversize racquets (up to 135 sq. in.) help deliver a powerful swing, but they do not do much for speed. A simple rule of thumb: the larger the head, the larger the sweet spot and the greater the power, but the less control you’ll get.

Frame flexibility - For more power and control, stiff frames are best. Flexible frames will give you less of both, but will absorb more impact. Graphite racquets come in flexible to stiff frames, while those made from aluminum tend to be more flexible. If you’re a beginner, though, head size will be more important than flexibility.

String tension - Whether you’re getting your racquet pre-strung, which is the case with inexpensive models, or having it custom-made, mid-range is the safest option, especially if you’re just learning the game.

Length - Adult racquets are usually 27 to 28 inches long. A longer racquet will add power to your serve, but will take away your ability to maneuver quickly. For beginners, the standard length is recommended.

Weight - Beginners should choose a racquet weighing 10 to 11.5 ounces. Any lighter than this and your arm will absorb the impact each time the racquet hits the ball. You’ll feel this most in fast games. This could result in injuries to the wrist, elbow, and arm.

Balance - Head-heavy or head-light? Lighter, head-heavy racquets are good for power, especially in slow games. But advanced players prefer heavier racquets that are even balanced or head-light for more speed and maneuverability. Beginners should choose a racquet with a 3/8 balance, or within three points of balance either way.

Grip size - Adult racquets would have grip sizes from 4 to 4 3/4 in. A simple way to find the perfect size for you is to hold the racquet, and slide the index finger of the other hand between the base of the palm and the tips of the fingers. If there is too much space between the index finger and the fingers holding the racquet, the grip is too big. If there is no space, the grip is too small. Remember that a grip that is too small for you will cause injuries to the wrist and elbow, while one that is too big will force you to hold the racquet tighter than normal and put stress on your arm.

Price - If you’re on a budget, you can find good aluminum, pre-strung racquets for under $30 or even $20. Advanced players will want a stiffer racquet and can choose one made of graphite from $70 to about $300.