Back hands, fore hands, aces, grips, volleys, drop shots and the swift glide across the tennis court – the skill involved in the game of tennis and the level of athleticism that is demanded by it has made it one of the oldest and most respected sport of all times. Tennis has always been a pleasure to watch and the affair becomes even more pleasurable if it involves steaming hot athletes sweating it out on the court. If you need that instant adrenalin rush through your veins, keep reading and find out about the heart throbs in the tennis circuit.

The Russian heart throb, Marat Safin has been acknowledged as a born winner and rightfully so. The flair for classic tennis playing runs in his blood. His mother, Raisa, needs no introduction. Winning many prestigious tennis championship titles, Raisa was ceded the #10 in Russian tennis and has been Safin’s central source of inspiration. Safin began honing his tennis playing skills at the age of 6 and left Russia to go to Spain at the age of 14. In Spain, along with overcoming the language barrier, Safin trained rigorously in tennis under the guidance of Rafael Mensua. He entered the ATP tennis arena when he was only 18 years old and considers that phase to be the turning point in his life. The final years of the 1990’s saw Safin rise to a whole new level of skilled tennis playing. He ended the decade with his first ATP victory in Boston and set himself a position among the top 25 ATP players. The year 2000 won him the prestigious U.S. Open and reached the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Tennis Championship in the year 2001. Year 2002 witnessed Safin being ceded the #11 best tennis player in the world. Safin’s other interests include, soccer, golf, ice hockey. The eye candy also has a knack for languages. Log on to http://www.maratsafin.com/ to get more scoop on Marat Safin.

Now, brace yourselves for the Swiss personification of elegance and panache. Yes, I am hinting towards the contemporary tennis God – Roger Federer. Born on August 8, 1981, Roger Federer has given the Swiss chocolate manufacturers a run for their money. Little did Federer know about the fame and accolades, tennis will bring him when embarked upon this sport at the young age of 8 years. By the age of 14, Federer became the junior Swiss tennis champion for all age groups. This current world #1 tennis player held the same position even in the junior’s circuit, which he left in the year 1998. Federer started to play for the Swiss Davis Cup team in the year 1999 and became the youngest player to be amongst the top 100 ATP rankings. Federer participated in the 2000 Olympics and became the first ever #1 player from Switzerland. Federer has, under his belt, 12 singles Grand Slam titles, which include, four U.S. Open titles, three Australian Open titles and five Wimbledon titles. He also holds the unbeaten record of having appeared in ten straight men’s singles Grand Slam finals, from the 2005 Wimbledon championship to the 2007 U.S. Open. Federer has displayed such tennis talent that promises to place him as a living legend in tennis. To know more about “The Natural”, please visit, http://www.rogerfederer.com/en/

Now that we have mentioned Federer, it would be injustice to die hard tennis fans if Rafael Nadal Parera is not mentioned on the same page. This Spaniard was born on June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Majorca, Spain. At the age of 22 he looks nothing less than a Spanish warrior taking over the tennis court with his power packed strokes. This tennis pro has remained unstoppable for most of his tennis career, with Federer being the only exception. Nadal was ranked #2 behind Federer for a record 160 weeks, before he finally positioned himself on the world #1 spot very recently in August, 2008. This exchange of spots has been a result of the fact that Nadal had bagged the wining spot in 12 out of the the 18 singles tennis clashes between the two, including, four Grand Slam titles out of the six that they played together. Going back a little in history to find out more about this young champion’s orientations and the secret behind his magical persona on the courts, many will be astounded to know that Nadal was introduced to tennis as early as when he was just 3 years old. He is better known as the “King of Clay”due to the remarkable 22-1 record, which he has set on clay court tournament finals. He has won five Grand Slam singles championship titles, which include four French Open titles and one Wimbledon title and recently won the prestigious 2008 Olympic gold medal. To know more about this currently reigning God of international tennis, check out http://www.rafaelnadal.com/nadal/en/home