By the end of his career, Federer may have established himself as the undisputed No 1 player of all time.

His list of achievements already bears comparison with the sport's greats, for he has 13 Grand Slam titles to his credit and as he will not turn 30 until 2011, there is time for several more yet.

Born in Basel, Switzerland, Federer was an outstanding junior player who announced his arrival on the senior stage when he ended Pete Sampras' 31-match unbeaten run at Wimbledon in 2001.

It took him another two years to capture the title at the All England Club, but when he did so, he embarked on a run of success that saw him emulate Bjorn Borg by winning in five consecutive years.

He did likewise at the US Open from 2004-08, with his three Australian Open victories enhancing his Grand Slam record.

The only omission is the French Open, in which Federer reached the final every year from 2006-08 but lost each time to Rafael Nadal.

Five years of Federer dominance came to an end in 2008 when Nadal, previously a clay-court expert, began to challenge him on all surfaces and stole his Wimbledon title in a thrilling final, before ending his reign as world No 1, which had lasted for 237 consecutive weeks.

A player with seemingly no weakness in his play, Federer has generally adopted a baseline game and while highly effective on both wings; his forehand is widely regarded to be his main weapon.