The Bests: Roger Federer

Roger Federer was born 8 August 1981. He is a Swiss professional tennis player who as of August 2012 is ranked World No.1 by the ATP. Several sports analysts, tennis critics and former and current players consider him to be the greatest tennis player of all time. Federer was born in Binningen, Switzerland near Basel, to Swiss national Robert Federer and South African-born Lynette Durand, of Dutch and French Huguenot ancestry. He holds both Swiss and South African citizenship. He grew up in nearby Münchenstein, close to the French and German borders and speaks Swiss German, German, French and English fluently, Swiss German being his native language. He was raised as a Roman Catholic and met Pope Benedict XVI while playing the 2006 Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome. Like all male Swiss citizens, Federer was subject to compulsory military service in the Swiss Armed Forces. He owns several men's world records of the Open Era: holding the number 1 position for 295 weeks overall, a 237-consecutive-week stretch at the top from 2004 to 2008, winning 17 Grand 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.

Federer has appeared in 24 men's Grand Slam finals, with ten 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 the semifinals of 23 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, from the 2004 Wimbledon Championships through the 2010 Australian Open. At the 2012 Wimbledon men's championship, he reached his 32nd Grand Slam semi-final and seventh trophy, both records. At the 2012 US Open, he reached a record consecutive 34th Grand Slam quarter-final. He has also won the most matches, 247, in men's Grand Slam tournaments. He also won the Olympic gold medal in 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 is one of seven men, and one of four in the Open Era, to capture the career Grand Slam, and one of three to do so separately on clay, grass, and hard courts.

However, in 2003 he was deemed unfit because of a long-standing back problem and was subsequently not required to fulfill his military obligation. Federer himself also credits the range of sports he played as a child—he also played badminton, cricket and basketball—for his hand-eye coordination. Federer has stated in various interviews that he is an avid cricket fan, having met Sachin Tendulkar twice. "I was always very much more interested if a ball was involved," he says. Most tennis prodigies, by contrast, play tennis to the exclusion of all other sports. In later life, Federer has been friends with the golfer Tiger Woods.

Federer supports a number of charities. He established the Roger Federer Foundation in 2003 to help disadvantaged people and to promote sports. In 2005, he auctioned his racquet from his US Open championship to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. He was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF in 2006. At the 2005 Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Federer arranged an exhibition involving several top players from the ATP tour and WTA tour called. Federer currently plays with a customised Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 90 BLX tennis racquet, which is characterised by its smaller hitting area of 90 square inches, heavy strung weight of 364 grams, and thin beam of 17.5 millimeters. His grip size is 4 3/8 inches (sometimes referred to as L3). Federer strings his racquets at 21.5 kg mains/20 kg crosses pre stretched 20%, utilizing Wilson Natural Gut 16 gauge for his main strings and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough 16L gauge (polyester) for his cross strings. When asked about string tensions, Federer stated «this depends on how warm the days are and with what kind of balls I play and against who I play. So you can see – it depends on several factors and not just the surface; the feeling I have is most important.» Federer also shares the Open Era record for most Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open with Agassi (4 titles), at Wimbledon with Pete Sampras (7 titles) and at the US Open with Jimmy Connors and Sampras (5 titles). Federer's ATP tournament records include winning six ATP World Tour Finals, winning 21 ATP Masters 1000 titles (a record shared with Rafael Nadal), playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and, matching Agassi, winning seven.

The Bests: Alessandro Costacurta

Alessandro Billy Costacurta was born 24 April 1966. He is an Italian former professional football defender turned manager. Costacurta spent some twenty years at Milan, with a brief period spent in AC Monza on loan. He is best known for his role alongside Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Mauro Tassotti, forming one of the greatest defences in the Serie A and European football during the 90s. He is mainly central defender, but also can play on the right flank if necessary. 

On 7 May 2007, at age 41, he announced his retirement, effective at the end of the 2006-07 season. He remained with the club, as a second assistant to coach Carlo Ancelotti for a short time afterwards. He made his final home start in Milan's 3-2 loss to Udinese on 19 May 2007, converting a penalty that marked his first Serie A goal since the 1991-92 season (a left-footed volley against Roma on 3 November 1991), and left the pitch near the end of the match to a standing ovation. After the match ended, his teammates entered the pitch wearing a replica of his jersey as a tribute. 

Costacurta, affectionally known to fans as Billy, won the Scudetto seven times with Milan, and the European Cup/Champions League five times (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007 - although he did not actually feature in the squad for the 2007 final). He was set to retire from Milan at the end of the 2005-06 season, but later signed a one-year extension at the age of 40. He became the oldest footballer ever to play in the Champions League, in Milan's 1-0 loss to AEK Athens on 21 November 2006, at 40 years and 211 days, topping the previous record held by Belgian goalkeeper Dany Verlinden at 40 years and 116 days. After his retirement, in the 2007-08 season Costacurta was a member of Carlo Ancelotti's coaching staff as a technical assistant, while earning his own coaching badges. 

At the end of the season, he successfully earned his badges and various Italian media reported that he was pursuing a managerial role of his own. However he refused a position at Pisa offered by new club owner Luca Pomponi immediately after the completion of his takeover of the club, citing his need to remain at Milan in order to stay at home and take care of his son, while his wife was on tour with the theater. A mainstay in the Italian national team throughout the 1990s, Costacurta played for his country in 1994 and 1998 World Cups, as well as Euro 96. After missing out on the 1994 Champions League final through suspension, he also missed the 1994 World Cup final loss to Brazil, again due to suspension. He retired from international duty with 59 caps in 1998. 

On 27 October 2008 Costacurta was unveiled as new head coach of Serie B promotion candidates Mantova, following the dismissal of previous boss Giuseppe Brucato. However his time at Mantova proved to be unsuccessful, as he failed to improve Mantova's results and ultimately leading him to tend his resignation from the coaching post following a 1–0 loss to Vicenza that left his club only four points above the relegation zone.

The Bests: Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova was born April 19, 1987, Nyagan, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen oblast, Soviet Union. She is a professional Russian tennis player. Only among Russians (both women and men), who's 6 times in the finals of a Grand Slam singles title. 

Masha's parents came from Gomel. A few months before the birth of daughters they moved to Siberia due to unfavourable environmental situation due to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located in Ukraine, only 100 km from the Centre of Gomel region. Maria started tennis at 4 years, by the time her family already lived in Sochi. Interestingly, the father of Masha, Yuri Viktorovich Sharapov, was friends with Alexander Nikodimovičem Kafel′nikovym, father of Yevgeny Kafelnikov and gave her first racket Eugene. In 6 years, Sharapova had a chance to play with Martina Navratilovoj, when she gave a model lesson of tennis in Moscow. Navratilova, after talent in young tennis player, still quite strongly advised the father to give Masha in American tennis Academy of Nick Bolletteri. 

Adult tournaments, held under the auspices of the International Tennis Federation, Masha debuted in 2001, in Sarasota, where, however, lost in the first round. But in a year in Columbus, even without being in the women's Tennis Association, won the start of rival was then among the 300 best in the world. Coach Mary was then her father. Father of Mary, which sought to develop tennis talent, daughter of the great Council of gods, and in 1995, the world moved with Mary in the United States. 

Having achieved considerable success during the games at various Tennis Championships, July 3, 2004, Maria won Wimbledon. She beat in the final of the women's single level double winner of this tournament, pool Serena Williams. As Sharapova became the first rossiânkoj to win Wimbledon. This victory allowed her to become world no. 1-8. 

In January 2008, Sharapova became the face of Sony Ericsson signed an exclusive contract for four years. From August 2008 to March 2009, due to a shoulder injury (eventually leading to surgery) from appearing on the superficial Sharapova. Trial return took place in Indian Wells, where she played one match dual discharge (together with Elena Vesninoj). However, the next tournament, and the final return to the tour, was played only in the middle of may in Warsaw, where she reached the 1/4 finals, yielding Alëne Bondarenko of Ukraine. 

October 3, 2009, Maria won her first tournament after a break due to injury — Toray Pan Pacific Open, becoming the first in the history of the premier WTA tennis player neseânnoj hit right away in the second round next tournament is the Chinese Tennis Open Championship. 

In 2010, Sharapova had been conquered by 21 and 22 3rd tituty WTA at Memphis and Strasbourg, respectively. Relatively fortunate was summer season, during which She twice travelled to the finals on grass in Birmingham, then the hard in Stanford University (lost to Victoria Azarenka) and Cincinnati (hard trehset match – 6-2 6-7 2-6 — was defeated by Kim Clijsters). 

2011 year in sports career by Maria Sharapova began with relatively good performance at the Australian Open is a professional tennis player was able to go out in the fourth round, which easily gave way to a young German tennis player Andrea Petkovic (2-6 3-6). Then after a small break (tennis player withdrew the February tournament in Paris), Sharapova successfully participated at the major tournaments of the American series in Indian Wells, she reached the semi-finals, losing the first rocket world Carolina Wozniacki (1-6 2-6), Miami reached the final, where it lost to Victoria Azarenka had garnered a good form (1-6 4-6). A great success was the victory at a major tournament in Rome the uppermost; win during the tournament, Wozniacki and Azarenka in the final, Sharapova defeated 6-th was avstralijke to Samantha Stosur (6-2 6-4). The end of the season also was a good ground for Mary; the courts of Roland-Gaross it for the second time in his career has reached the semifinals, losing only the future winner of the tournament of the tennis player Li Na (4-6 5-7). Next after French Open tournament Maria became Wimbledon, statement which also proved to be successful: for the first time since 2004, she performed in the final of this tournament, but unlike last Wimbledon finals to take the title.

The Bests - Luis Ronaldo

The full name is Ronaldo-Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima was born on September 22, 1976, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a Brazilian football left his playing career, served as a central attacker; considered by many to be one of the best players in the history of football.

Two-time world champion, world record holder for the number of goals scored in the final stages of the World Championships, the 2002 FIFA World Cup top scorer and best player of 1998 World Cup three times, the best FIFA player of the year, two-time winner of the "Golden Ball", winner of the "Golden boot", named one of the 100 greatest football players of the world in the 13-th place in the magazine World Soccer "(1999), FIFA 100, voted the best player of the Decade of the Series and the release of the Italian Association of footballers (1998 — 2007)the best player of the Decade on the basis of a vote on a portal of the goal.com (2000-2009). 

Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima was born in Bento Ribeiro, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro, September 18, 1976, but was officially registered by their parents until 22 September. His mother named him in honor of the midwife, who was Ronaldo Valente her childbirth. 

Ronaldo started playing football with 6 years in 8 years he had received as a gift from his father, a leather ball in the 12 years he became a permanent children's Sports Club as a Futsal player "Valkejre". In the following years, Ronaldo was playing Futsal combine to a great football team "Can-Kristovan". After becoming the top scorer in two tournaments, he finally focused on football, but after some time in the press, the first mention of "the new Pele". 

The Dutch PSV, Ronaldo moved in July 1994, over 5 million. the pound sterling. Soon entered into a sponsorship contract with Nike. Despite the lack of knowledge of the Dutch language, an unpleasant climate and atmosphere unusual foods, Ronaldo already in his first season, at the age of 17 years, became the top scorer in the Dutch League, and his team was third. 

In early 1995, the President of «Inter Milan» Massimo Moratti has concluded a contract for PSV inter a priority right to purchase Brazilian. In the spring of the same year, Ronaldo, while on vacation in Milan, with Moratti. 

In the second season of the case Ronaldo went worse his team again became the third in the Championship, he had pain in the knee. Exercises were halted for a few days, but this did not help the player's physical form was far from ideal, it became known that required an operation on his knee. In February 1996, the operation took place, at 4 months was Ronaldo, which meant the end of the season. Brazilian striker Romario, Ronaldo physiotherapist Nilton Petrone told that treated him. Ronaldo left Eindhoven and went to the clinic at the 90-day intensive physiotherapy. All this time he has been in the gym and swam in the pool. 

The result is the forward managed to recover to the final Cup of Holland, but coach Dick Advocaat gave him only a few minutes to play in the match, firing on a replacement. Then Ronaldo decided to leave PSV and move on to another Club.