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Tiger Woods

Full name : Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods

Profession : Professional Golfer
Date of Birth : ecember 30, 1975
Place of Birth : Long Beach, California, USA
Height : 6′2′
Sign : Capricorn
Fan Mail : Tiger Woods
International Management Group
IMG Center Suite #100
1360 East Ninth Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44114-1782
Biography 
Endorsed by Nike (just like Michael Jordan) and one of the greatest golfers the sport and world has ever seen, Tiger Woods has achieved what many golfers haven’t achieved in their lifetime, and he is only 25 years old!
Record breaking pro golfer Eldrick ‘Tiger’ Woods was born on the 30th of December, 1975, the only child to parents Earl, retired lieutenant, and Kultida, of Thai descent. Earl Woods gave his son Eldrick the nickname ‘Tiger’, after a soldier and friend of his father who was also nicknamed Tiger in his days as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army.
Tiger grew up in Cypress, California, where his future passion and talent was foreshadowed while he was only a baby. Tiger would watch his father hit golf balls and would mimic his father’s swing while still in his crib.
Even before becoming a graduate from Western High School in Anaheim, California, Tiger was appearing on television and winning golf tournaments. At the mere age of 2, Tiger played with comedian and golfer Bob Hope on a national televisor, the Mike Douglas Show. He was featured in Golf Digest at age 5, after having already succeeded in shooting 48 for nine holes while the same children his age were still playing with building blocks.
A six-time winner at the Optimist International Junior Tournament, Tiger won at the ages of 8 and 9, and consecutively from ages 12 to 15.
While a student at Stanford University, Tiger won 10 collegiate events and held the NCAA title.
With awards and honors such as Golf Digest Player of the Year in 1991 and 1992, Golf World Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993, and Golfweek National Amateur of the Year in 1992 already under Tiger’s belt, there is no doubt that his dreams of pro golf were only a few putts away.
Before his years at Stanford, Tiger had already played in a professional tournament when he was 16 years old, the Nissan Los Angeles Open in 1992. One year later, he participated in three PGA Tour events and in 1994, Tiger placed 34th in the 1994 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic in Thailand and appeared in three more PGA Tours that same year.
After having won the 1994 Western Amateur and representing the United States in the 1994 World Amateur Team Championships in France and the 1995 Walker Cup Match in Wales, Tiger was ready for his first major championships in 1995 — the Masters and The British Open. Tiger couldn’t play in the US Open that year because he injured his wrist.
Even as an amateur in 1995 and 1996, Tiger was making and breaking records and it was for this reason (among many others) that he was named Sports Illustrated’s 1996 Sportsman of the Year.
In 1997, Tiger won the first Mercedes Championships of the season, the Masters and four PGA events. Tiger became the leading money winner, winning $2,440,831.

Steffi Graf

Name : Stephanie Graf
Profession : Tennis Player
Date of Birth : June 14, 1969
Place of Birth : Bruhl, Germany
Height : 1.75 meters
Weight : 60 kilos
Fan Mail : Boca Raton, Florida
Bruhl, Germany 
Coaches : Gunthard (92-99)
Pavel Slozil (86-91)
Biography 
Stefanie Maria Graf was born on June 14, 1969 in Neckerau, Germany. Her father’s name is Peter and her mother’s name is Heidi. She has one brother named Michael. Steffi currently is dating a guy named Michael Bertels.

Steffi spent a total of 377 weeks at number 1, which is a world record. Her first ranking was at 214. She then went on to win 21 Grand Slam Single Titles, 1 Grand Slam Doubles Title. She won 7 at Wimbledon, 5 at the US Open, 6 at the French Open, and 4 at the Australian Open. She has a total of 103 Career Singles Titles. Her total career prize money is $20,130,835.

Steffi began playing tennis when she was just four years old. But it wasn’t until she was thirteen years old, on October 18, 1982, that she turned pro. In 1982, Steffi was the second youngest player ever ranked in the WTA Tour ranking 124th. It wasn’t until 1985 that she broke into the top ten. In 1988, not only did she win the Grand Slam, but she also was the champion of the Olypic Games. Therefore, her tremendous success was called the ‘Golden Slam’. She is the only player to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single year(1990). 

Serena Williams

Name : Serena Williams

Profession : Tennis Player
Date of Birth : September 26, 1981
Place of Birth : Saginaw, Michigan, USA
Height : 5′9′
Weight : 130 lbs.
Plays : Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
WTA Tour singles titles : 20
WTA Tour doubles titles : 11 (includes one Olympic title)
Grand Slam titles : 5 singles, 6 doubles, 2 mixed doubles
Biography 
CAREER IN REVIEW:
1995 - Aged 14 years, 1 month, played first professional match as a wildcard in Quebec City qualifying, l. to A. Miller 61 61
1996 - Did not play
1997 - After failing to qualify for Indian Wells, Los Angeles and Zurich, made Tour main draw debut as a qualifier at Moscow, where she lost to world No. 22 Po; in just second career main draw at Chicago as a wildcard ranked No. 304, staged stunning upsets to d. world No. 7 Pierce 63 76(3) in 2r and No. 4 Seles 46 61 61 in QF before losing to Davenport in SF; became lowest-ranked player to defeat a Top 5 player since unranked Rehe d. world No. 3 Sabatini at 1990 Los Angeles, and lowest-ranked player to defeat two Top 10 players in one tournament; ranking vaulted from No. 304 to No. 102 and finished first full season ranked No. 99
1998 - Began the year in Sydney, as a qualifier ranked No. 96, reached SF with 16 75 75 win over No. 3 Davenport in QF (after trailing 61 52 and saving mp), improving to No. 53; at Australian Open, d. world No. 9 Spirlea in 1r before falling to sister Venus; at Miami, d. No. 10 Spirlea again en route to first six other QF of season, where she held mp on No. 1 Hingis before falling 63 16 76(4); her Miami win over Spirlea came in only her 16th career Tour main draw singles match, the fastest ever in women?s tennis history to record five Top 10 victories, breaking previous record set by Seles in 1989 who achieved it in her 33rd match; at Italian Open, d. world No. 12 Tauziat and No. 8 (former four-time champion) Martinez before losing to sister Venus in QF; at Roland Garros, held 64 5-2 lead on eventual champion Sanchez-Vicario in 4r before falling; also reached QF at Eastbourne, Los Angeles and Filderstadt; won mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and US Open w/Mirnyi, completing a Williams family 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slam, as sister Venus won Australian Open and Roland Garros titles w/Gimelstob; won first pro title in doubles at Oklahoma City w/V. Williams, becoming third pair of sisters to win a Tour doubles title (also won Zurich w/V. Williams); earned $2,605,102, her first $1- million-plus season; first Top 20 season-finish
1999 - Finished at No. 4 in only third full season, winning first five titles of career, including first Grand Slam; career-first singles title came at Paris Indoors, d. Mauresmo in 76 third set in final, the same day sister Venus won Oklahoma City, marking first time in professional tennis history two sisters won titles in same week; won Indian Wells, the second of five unseeded Tier I champions; ranked No. 21, d. world No. 2 Davenport in 2r, No. 8 Pierce in QF and No. 7 Graf in final in 3s; in March, Venus halted her 16-match win streak in Miami final in 3s, the first all-sister Tour singles final in Open Era; Serena d. world No. 3 Seles, No. 9 Coetzer and No. 1 Hingis in straight sets en route to final; a week after Miami (April 5), entered Top 10 at No. 9 for first time; her sister, Venus, was No. 6 the same week, marking first time two sisters appeared in Top 10 simultaneously since April 22, 1991 (Manuela and Katerina Maleeva); at Los Angeles, d. No. 8 Sanchez-Vicario for first time in five career meetings, No. 1 Hingis in SF and Halard-Decugis in final; at US Open, d. world No. 4 Seles, No. 2 Davenport and No. 1 Hingis to become lowest seed, at No. 7, to win the title and second African-American woman ever to win a Grand Slam title after Althea Gibson won five (her last coming at the 1958 US Championships); compiled second 16-match win streak of the season by winning Grand Slam Cup (d. Venus in final for first pro win over her); streak stopped with 2r loss (1r bye) to Testud at Filderstadt; won Roland Garros and US Open doubles w/V. Williams; withdrew from Hilton Head with right knee patella tendonitis and during QF at German Open vs. Sanchez-Vicario with a strained right elbow; withdrew from Wimbledon with severe influenza and from season-ending Championships (first time to qualify) with a back injury sustained in practice
2000 - Winner of three Tier II titles and runner-up in two other events; best result was defending Los Angeles title with consecutive wins over world No. 6 C. Martinez, No. 1 Hingis and No. 2 Davenport (saving mp at 5-4 on Davenport?s serve), the same three players she defeated en route to 1999 US Open title; also won titles at Hannover (d. Chladkova in final) and Tokyo [Princess Cup] (d. Halard-Decugis in final); runner-up at Paris Indoors (l. to Tauziat 75 62 after suffering a right knee ligament injury) and at Canadian Open, where she led No. 1 Hingis 60 20 before retiring in the third set with inflammation of small bone in base of left foot; same injury forced her withdrawals from US Open doubles SF and season-ending Championships; retired during 2r (1r bye) at Amelia Island in April with a meniscus tear in her left knee; did not play again until June at Wimbledon, where she lost just 13 games in five matches en route to SF, the least games lost since Evert dropped 10 in 1976; l. to V. Williams in SF, the first time at Wimbledon and eighth time at any Grand Slam in Open Era that sisters played each other in singles (the older one winning each time to that point); in doubles, won Wimbledon title and Olympic Gold Medal w/V. Williams
2001 - Third consecutive Top 10 finish, winning three titles and reaching first Grand Slam singles final in two years; l. to Hingis at start of season at both Sydney and Australian Open (where she led in third set 4-1 and 5-4, deuce); won doubles title w/V. Williams, completing a career Grand Slam together, only the fifth pair in tennis history to accomplish that feat after Navratilova/Shriver (four times), G. Fernandez/Zvereva (twice), K. Jordan/A. Smith and Court/Dalton (once each); withdrew from Paris Indoors (fatigue) and Scottsdale (flu); at Indian Wells, won second title there in three years, d. world No. 2 Davenport 61 62 in QF and Clijsters in final in 3s; at Miami, reached QF before left thigh strain hampered her in l. to Capriati; withdrew from Charleston, Italian Open and Madrid due to knee injury; reached first QF at Roland Garros and second at Wimbledon, l. to Capriati in 3s each time (at Wimbledon after leading 76 5-3); at Canadian Open, d. Majoli, Schett, Testud, world No. 8 Seles and No. 3 Capriati (snapping four-match losing streak to her) to win title (10th of her career); at US Open, d. world No. 6 Henin, No. 3 Davenport (75 third set) and No. 1 Hingis in consecutive matches before falling to V. Williams in final, marking second time ever and first since 1884 Wimbledon that sisters met in a Grand Slam singles final; withdrew from Tokyo [Princess Cup] and Leipzig due to September 11 terrorists attacks; first player to win season-ending Championships on debut, receiving a walkover in the final when Davenport withdrew with a knee injury; seeded No. 7, lowest seed to win the title (unseeded champions are Hanika-1982 and Sabatini-1994)
2002 - In Sydney twisted right ankle chasing a drop shot in fourth game of SF vs. Shaughnessy and was forced to retire at 4-5; withdrew from Australian Open; withdrew from Antwerp due to ankle injury; won Scottsdale, d. world No. 5 Hingis and No. 2 Capriati in 3s, preventing latter from returning to No. 1; ranked No. 9 and seeded No. 8, won Miami without dropping a set, d. world No. 3 Hingis, No. 2 V. Williams (ending her unbeaten 22-match run in Miami) and No. 1 Capriati (saving seven set points in second set) in last three matches, joining Graf (1999 Roland Garros) as only players in Open Era to defeat world?s Top 3 players in same tournament; win streak halted at 12 in Charleston QF by No. 30 Schnyder despite holding mp in third set; reached career-first clay final at German Open, l. 76 third set to world No. 8 Henin; captured Italian Open, d. world No. 2 Capriati in SF (after coming within a point of trailing 4-0 final set) and No. 8 Henin in final (avenging German Open loss), ranking improved to No. 3; won first Grand Slam singles title in nearly three years at Roland Garros, d. world No. 2 Capriati in SF after trailing 63 6-5 (fifth straight win over her) and older sister, No. 1 Venus in final; they were the first sisters to meet for a Roland Garros singles title and it marked first time in 10 Grand Slam matches in Open Era that a younger sister defeated an older sister; surpassed the $7-million mark in career prize money with the title; moved to No. 2 on June 10 behind sister Venus, the first time in tennis history two siblings were ranked world No. 1 and No. 2; won Wimbledon without dropping a set, d. world No. 1 and two-time defending champion V. Williams in first all-sister Wimbledon singles final since the first one in 1884 (when Maud Watson d. Lilian Watson); combined with Venus to win doubles title, their fifth Grand Slam title together; by virtue of her singles SF win over Mauresmo, claimed No. 1 ranking on July 8, becoming 11th woman to rank No. 1 since computer rankings began in November 1975; by winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, joined a list of nine greats who accomplished the double: Graf, Navratilova, Evert, King, Goolagong, Court, Connolly, Wills-Moody and Lenglen; at Los Angeles, in first tournament since winning Wimbledon, stretched win-streak to 21 matches before being upset in QF by No. 21 Rubin 62 46 75 (after leading 4-1 final set), marking seventh straight year the world No. 1 failed to win Los Angeles; withdrew from Canadian Open (Montreal), where she was No. 1 seed and defending champion, with acute left knee tendonitis which she aggravated in practice before the tournament; d. sister Venus in a third straight Grand Slam final to win US Open; joins list of six women in tennis history to win three consecutive Grand Slam tournaments in the same year: Graf 1988/93/95/96, Navratilova 1983/84, King 1972, Court 1970, Connolly 1953 and Wills-Moody 1928/29; No. 1 ranking was on the line in final, only fourth Grand Slam final since 1975 and first since 1995 Roland Garros; led all women with 53 total aces in the tournament; in SF vs. Davenport came back from 5-2 down in second set and later saved three set points; second woman in Open Era after Navratilova (1983) to win Wimbledon and US Open without conceding a set in same year; her 15 straight set Grand Slam match-streak is the most dominant since Graf?s 20 in 1988; the win put her over the $3-million mark in 2002 prize money, the fastest a woman has reached the mark, and also moved her to 10th on the all-time prize money list with more than $9 million; won seventh title of the year at Tokyo [Princess Cup] (d. Clijsters in final in 3s); played doubles w/Navratilova, first time to play with someone other than sister Venus in 31 career doubles tournaments, but fell in QF to eventual champions Kuznetsova/Sanchez-Vicario; won Leipzig the following week for eighth title of 2002 (d. Henin and Myskina in last two rounds); won doubles w/Stevenson for only third singles-doubles sweep at an event (1999 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon); withdrew from Filderstadt, Zurich and Linz due to exhaustion; qualified for fourth consecutive season-ending Championships (but second time to play); as No. 1 seed and defending champion, reached final, d. Capriati in SF in 3s after trailing 3-1 third set; l. to Clijsters 75 63, only her fifth loss of the season and first straight sets loss since 2001 US Open final; it was only her fourth loss in 23 completed career finals (V. Williams - 1999 Miami and 2001 US Open; Tauziat - 2000 Paris Indoors); finished season ranked No. 1, 940 points ahead of No. 2 V. Williams 

Rena Mero

Name : Rena Mero

Birth Name : Rena Greek
Profession : WWF Wrestler
Date of Birth : August 8,1968
Place of Birth : Jacksonville, Florida
Height : 5′ 6%22
Best Known As : Former WWF champion
Biography 
Rena Mero was born on August 8,1968 in Jacksonville, FL. as Rena Greek. She is the second oldest of four children. Growing up she demonstrated great interest in athletics, involving herself in softball, horseback riding,and gymnastics. At age 12, she started entering beauty contests where she won her first one. During the 6 years that she modeled, Rena worked for clients such as Guess? Jeans, Bongo, Pepsi, L’Oreal etc. 1999 was a good year for her, In April, she was on the cover of Playboy. This issue was the fastest selling magazine ever! Playboy asked her back for an encore performance, making her the first woman in history to appear on the cover of Playboy twice in one year. She was honored by Playboy by naming her the Sex Star of the Century. That very year she was on the cover of TV Guide twice.
Rena enjoyed the three years she spent in wrestling and becoming the WWF Women’s Champion of the World. As %22Sable,%22 Rena Mero was named the women’s champ of the World Wrestling Federation in 1998. (The WWF, an entertaining mix of acting and grappling, was later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.) Mixing power moves with pulchritude, Sable became the WWF’s biggest female star and for a time was one of the Internet’s most popular pinups. Mero split with the WWF after an argument with management, but her fame got another boost when she appeared in the October 1999 issue of Playboy magazine. She returned to the WWE in 2003, reclaiming her Sable name and persona.

Doing a guest appearance on the Show Pacific Blue led to other guest starring roles on several series such as First Wave, Relic Hunter and hosting shows on MTV and VH-1 also appearing on numerous talk shows such as the Tonight Show, Donnie & Marie, Late Show, Larry King Live, Regis & Kathy Lee, Roseanne, Politically Incorrect, Howard Stern, etc. In 1993, she met Marc Mero and they married in 1994 and Marc adopted Rena’s daughter, Mariah. Rena enjoys spending time with her family in Orlando. And believe it or not, she is a domesticated woman who likes to cook and clean. She also likes reading and riding horses with her daughter.
 

Michael Jordan

Name : Michael Jeffrey Jordan

Profession : basketball player
Date of Birth : 02/17/1963
Place of Birth : Brooklyn, NY
Height : 6′ 6′
Weight : 232 lbs.
Fan Mail : c/o FAME
5335 Wisconsin Avenue
Washington D.C. 20015
Biography 
 
So how did this athletic wonder rise to where he is today? Jordan was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Wilmington, North Carolina. Though he favored baseball as a youngster, his outlook changed as his brother challenged him to one-on-one basketball matches. Michael was ironically cut from his high school varsity basketball team, but eventually made it his junior year.
He won a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina, and showcased the best of his airborne skills. After college, Michael went on to play for the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team. He played for the Chicago Bulls shortly after, leading the team to six NBA Championships. In 1996 he made his big screen debut in Space Jam.

To focus more on his family, Michael retired in 1999 after completing thirteen successful seasons and winning his last Championship. Cautious about the media spotlight on his family, he’s kept his personal life private.

The 38-year-old has also decided to devote his life to wife Juanita, and their three children Jeffrey, Marcus and Jasmine. They now reside comfortably in Highland Park, Illinois. In the planning for several years, the Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery marked the museum’s first natural history exhibition designed for children. ‘The interactive learning space explains in fun and informative ways the interrelated nature of the southeastern North Carolina environment,’ says former director Janet Seapker. The exhibit is divided into sections: the Upland Forest,the Bottomland and the Maritime Forest.

The three ecosystems contain typical plants, animals and geology along with activities designed to foster understanding of their specific natures. Just prior to entering the gallery visitors will see the Michael Jordan display case, an exhibition case displaying artifacts from Michael Jordan’s youth in Wilmington.

‘We have a past with Michael that no one else can claim. He grew up here; his family has roots here, and he continues to take a special interest in our area,’ says former assistant director Harry Warren.

The exhibit’s newest component is the Human Impact section, which explores the ways that the environment is influenced by its human inhabitants. The Jordan family, the Junior League of Wilmington and many community members were involved with the exhibit because of its benefit to children. The museum offers natural science programs for schoolchildren and families to complement the exhibition.

Mary Pierce

Name : Mary Pierce

Profession : Tennis Player
Date of Birth : 15 Jan 1975
Place of Birth : Montreal, Canada
Height : 1.78 m
Weight : 68 Kg.
Nationality : France
Plays : Right Handed (Double Handed Backhand)
Racquet : Yonex RD TI-70 Standard 88
Biography 
Sanex WTA Tour Singles Titles: 15
Sanex WTA Tour Doubles Titles: 9
Grand Slam Titles: 2 singles, 1 doubles (w/ Hingis)
ITF Women’s Circuit Singles Titles: 2 singles
Career Titles for Singles: 15
Career Titles for Doubles: 9
Career Prize Money: $6,259,366.00
Career Win/Loss Record: 407-176
Mary Pierce was born on January 15th, 1975, in Montreal, Canada while her mother was on a trip to the city. She never lived in Montreal but maintains an affinity with the people there whenever the WTA tour makes a stop for the Canadian Open. During her childhood, her father Jim initiated Pierce into the sport of tennis. With his guidance and prodding, she blossomed into a talented player, but the pressure to perform to his standard was intense. Pierce was raised in a sheltered environment, where her performance on the court was the sole barometer of her worth. Her father put everything he had into her success and as the stakes were raised, he supposedly became abusive. His behavior later got him expelled from the WTA tour and Pierce expelled him as coach after tiring of the emotional and physical abuse.

Pierce made her professional debut at the tender age of 14, a record that stood until Jennifer Capriati broke it at the Hilton Head tournament in 1989. She made a minimal impact on tour until she cracked the top ten for the first time in 1994. The next year Pierce made waves when she was victorious in Melbourne at the Australian Open and she became the first French woman to capture a Major win since 1967. The dream of winning for her native France however, was finally realized in 2000 when Pierce won at Roland Garros in Paris. Pierce had never received universal acceptance in the country of her mother due to her residence in Florida, but the entire nation celebrated the win en masse.

Pierce now maintains a residence in Paris, France, but calls her lavish residence in Florida with New York Mets superstar Roberto Alomar home. After suffering from debilitating injuries during the past two seasons, Pierce hopes that the last few years of her career will result in at least one more shot at a Grand Slam victory.
 

Martina Hingis

Name : Martina Hingis

Profession : tennis Player
Birthdate : September 30, 1980
Birthplace : Kosice, Slovakia
Height : 5′ 7′ (1.70 m)
Weight : 130 lbs. (59 kg)
Plays : Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Biography 
Martina Hingis was born in Kosice, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), on 30th September, 1980. She was born Martina Hingis due to her father, Karol Hingis. At this time, her mother was joined in matrimony, and thus named Hingis, but she has since changed her name twice, to Zogg, and its present incarnation, Molitor. This is her maiden name. She changed her name to Zogg when she married a Swiss computer salesman named Andreas Zogg, but this relationship has subsequently dissolved, rather acrimoniously. Melanie Molitor was a capable tennis player herself. It is broadly accepted that it was her who hatched the plan to make her daughter a star, though there is some debate that Karol may have had some influence in starting Martina off. That is not the version that Melanie remembers, she states that she placed a sawn-off wooden racquet in little Martina’s hand for the first time when she was just two. Martina and mother played tennis together for ten minutes a day at this time. Molitor had been ranked as highly as ten in her native Czechoslovakia during her youth. It was clear she relished her life within the game, but she simply didn’t have the talent to reach the WTA Tour, to make a considerable living out of the game. Molitor’s own tennis career had some major influences on Martina. Her hero was Martina Navratilova, though Molitor was clearly jealous of the freedom that tennis gave to her hero. Navratilova prompted Molitor to name her daughter Martina, and she vowed to give her daughter the opportunity to go wherever she wanted, and to have financial independence. Also, Molitor was primarily a baseliner, and she was determined to make Martina an all-court player, capable of playing any shot in the game. It is clear that Molitor’s family history had a considerable influence on her determination for her daughter to have a fruitful life. Molitor’s personal life was shaped profoundly by politics in Czechoslovakia. Her father, and Martina’s grandfather, was a landscape architect, and an ardent anti-Communist. He was sentenced to eight years of hard labor, working at a uranium mine that essentially amounted to a concentration camp. In essence, he was imprisoned, purely for opposing the government politically. The Communist party had intended to break him, in an eternal attempt to crush Communist opposition. Molitor cites her father as the most important person in her life, the one who had the greatest influence on her. His refusal to compromise, and determination to stand up for what he believed in, has clearly had a huge influence on Molitor’s fiery temperament. And the freedom that he was denied convinced her to give Martina every opportunity to be as free as possible. Her father died in 1988, one year before Communism died in Czechoslovakia. Molitor says he was, apart from her, the only one who believed in Martina. Tennis was still very much part of Molitor’s life when she met Karol Hingis, who has also been a player and coach. They married and set up house in Kosice, and had their only child, Martina, in 1980. Unfortunately they divorced four years later, in rather angry circumstances, the details of which remain firmly private. They will not communicate at all now. Molitor and Hingis moved to Roznov, Czechoslovakia, with Martina’s grandfather seriously ill, a bitter divorce behind them, little money and no occupation. It was now that Martina’s hitherto difficult life was to take a turn for the better. She could already hit the ball back and forth 300 times. In Roznov, Hingis begun to play tennis prolifically. Martina says that the divorce was the worst time of her life. And she has hardly seen her father since it happened. Her father is now a groundskeeper at the local tennis club where he lives, earning approximately ?,500 per annum. His daughter is a world famous, multi-Grand Slam winning tennis player, who was paid ?,500 by Sergio Tacchini every two days. For the record, Hingis still sees her father, making time to visit him at least once a year. There are rumors that Karol Hingis walked out on Martina and Melanie, and that the break-up of the marriage was not mutual, but these are unsubstantiated. Typically, Martina does not resent her father, indeed she says they have ‘a great relationship’, and that ‘he wants the best for [her]’. It would appear that Hingis and Hingis are rather more alike in character than Hingis and Molitor, both of them are laid-back people. Had Martina taken up residence with her father, she probably would not have become the success she has. I cannot imagine Martina working in a factory or an office. Perhaps she would have worked with horses in some capacity. Such speculation is irrelevant, however, because Martina did indeed go off with her mother, to begin a new life in Roznov. ‘Since I was in her stomach my mom was thinking I was going to be a great tennis player’. Well, at Roznov, Martina’s tennis practice began in earnest. Martina begun to play at the local tennis club, and what had been a turbulent life suddenly became a happy one. ‘I just loved it. I didn’t want anything else in the world. We had a small apartment, which I liked, and we were always on the courts playing tennis. We had fun’.

By five, Martina was playing tennis for up to five hours a day, considerably longer than she plays now. She entered her first tournament at four, and by the time she was six, she could be beaten by no-one under the age of nine. Most importantly for a young girl, she had esteem and belonging. ‘I just had a great life out there. There were always 40 kids on the grounds. It was like a big family together, like one big community. I just grew up on the courts. I would go to the courts with my mom, and when she practiced, I was there. I would play for four hours, then play a soccer game in the evenings, and then go home and hit the ball on the wall of our apartment. I was crazy!’ Martina also sparked her passion for horse riding when her mother took her to ride a pony, aged just four. She loved it instantly, and now lists horse riding as her main passion in life. She was also able to go and see her grandmother and father whenever she wanted to, and often went over to the courts for lunch, as their house was near the courts. But when she was seven, Martina was again uprooted, as her mother married Andreas Zogg, and moved to Switzerland. Her new residence has been her home for years since, it was the beautiful town of Trubbach. In some senses Martina had landed on her feet, Trubbach is just the most gorgeous place you can imagine, and an unassuming girl was well suited to life in the tiny hamlet. Her laid-back attitude was also reflected in the attitudes of her new compatriots. It was obviously not an ideal thing for a seven year-old girl to start all over again in a new country. But Hingis was nothing if not resolute. She refused to be held back a year, and was thrust straight into the second grade. At first Martina could barely understand a word that was being said. She would return from a day’s schooling to announce to her mother that she had no idea what they had been doing. ‘I wasn’t very happy to go to school at first’. But within three months, Martina was fluent in Swiss-German, and she now appears as Swiss as any girl, and is as eloquent in German as in Czech. When asked in Melbourne in 1997, how Slovakia would react to her Australian Open victory, she responded by saying that she was Swiss, Switzerland was her country, and that she was unrelated to Slovakia, now. ‘I was determined to learn and make friends, which I did in time’. Hingis is, in my opinion, a fine linguist. She speaks four languages, and I feel bound to say that her English is excellent. She could not speak any English until she was 12, yet it needs only a second for her to describe her mother as undiplomatic. I really admire anyone who can learn English; it is a language without rule or reason.

Martina first defeated her mother when she was ten years old, and throughout her younger years won a succession of Swiss titles, until, when she was 11, she was the under-18 champion of Switzerland. Next year she won the adult Swiss championship. It was clear that Martina was going to have a career in tennis, and a sparkling future was predicted when she became the youngest girl to win a junior Grand Slam, at the French Open, when still only 12. So, by the time she was 14, having left school, Martina was ready for professional tennis. She entered her first professional tournament on 3rd October, 1994, in Zurich, a mere 50 miles from her home. In her very first professional event she upset American veteran Patty Fendick in straight sets, and caused a young Mary Pierce considerable discomfort in the second round. She reached two quarterfinals in her next two events, and upset former top-ten player Helena Sukova. By the end of 1994, Martina Hingis had broken into the world’s top 100. A career had begun that was to bring achievement, glory, fame, admiration and wealth. And freedom. And such has been the nature of her life that a rather splendid young lady had been forged, a charming, self-aware, spontaneous girl, who realized just how lucky she was, and was determined to enjoy and cherish what she had. This girl had no bitterness toward her father, ultimate respect and gratitude for her mother, and the desire and passion to learn and experience and prosper. And she was about to prosper profoundly in the sphere of tennis.

Larry Bird

Name : Larry Bird

Name : Larry Joe Bird
Profession : Basketball Players
Date of Birth : December 7, 1956
Place of Birth : West Baden, Indiana
High School : Springs Valley High School 
College : Indiana State ?9
Height : 6′ 9′
Weight : 220 lbs.
NBA Experience : 13 Years
Biography 
College Career: Consensus All-American in 1978 and 1979 and the Sporting News Player of the Year in 1979 … TSN All-America First Team in 1978 and 1979 … graduated as the fifth all-time leading NCAA scorer (30.3 ppg) … ISU compiled a record of 81-13 overall and 50-1 at home in his three years … led ISU to the 1979 NCAA Finals … John Wooden Award winner in 1979 … also attended Indiana University, and Northwood Institute, but did not play. Scored over 40 pts. 15 times, 30+ pts. 49 times, 20+ pts. 87 out of 94 games.
Professional Career: Drafted by Boston on the first-round of the 1978 draft, as a junior eligible, the 6th pick overall … voted the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1980 and was a member of the league?s All-Rookie Team … a member of the All-NBA First team his first nine years, and to the Second team in his 11th … named to the all-star team 12 times … named the all-star game MVP in 1982 … All-Defensive Second Team in 1982, 1983, and 1984 … playoff MVP in 1984 and 1986 … regular season MVP in 1984, 1985, and 1986; one of only three players in NBA history to achieve the feat in three consecutive seasons … Player of the week 15 times … Player of the Month 7 times … NBA ft% leader in 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1990 … Boston has never had a r/s losing month with him in the line-up … whenever he plays 3,000 minutes, Boston advances to the NBA Finals; whenever he doesn?t, Boston does not advance … only Celtic to score 2,000+ points in three consecutive seasons … 69 triple-doubles, including 59 in the r/s … 40+ points 52 times, 46 in the r/s … 50+ points 4 times, all in the r/s … was held scoreless on 1/31/81 at Golden State … grabbed 21 rebounds in Game One of the 1981 NBA Finals vs. Houston; his sensational left-handed flying follow-up of his missed 22-footer came in the middle of the 4th quarter (Boston then trailed 87-86, then won 98-95 ,,, Bird-Erving fight, 11/9/84 … set NBA playoff record for most points in one year, 1984 … tallied 34 points in game five win over the Lakers in the 1984 Finals, despite 97 degree temperatures inside Boston Garden … scored 10,000 career point on 1/11/85 vs. Washington … consecutive game-winning buzzer beaters on 1/27/85 … named AP Male Athlete of the Year for 1986 … named The Sporting News Man of the Year for 1986 … won the long distance shootout in the first three years of its existence … triple-double in 1986 title clincher vs. Houston … consecutive 40+ point games on 3/20/87 (Seattle) and 3/22/87 (New Jersey) … achieved a triple-double at halftime on 4/1/87 vs. Washington … on 5/23/87, was ejected with Bill Laimbeer for fighting … made miraculous steal of Isaiah Thomas?inbounds pass with five seconds left to give Boston a win in Game Five of their 1987 playoff series … on 11/7/87 at Washington, game-tying 3-pt. fg. With 4 seconds left in 4th; hit game-winner with no time left in OT … on 11/11/87, he registered Boston?s first 40/20 game (42 points and 20 rebs.) Vs Indiana … on 5/22/88, in 7th game vs. Hawks, scored 34 pts. Including 20 (9-10 fgs) in the 4th … first player in NBA history to register 50% fgs. And 90% fts in the same season, and he is the only player to do it twice … missed all but six games in the 1988-89 season due to surgical removal of bone spurs in both heels … had the second best (Calvin Murphy, 78) free throw streak in NBA annals snapped at 71 on 2/12/90 in Houston … achieved his 5,000 career assist on 11/14/90 vs. Washington; became the 5th NBA player to reach both those numbers (Jabbar, Robertson, West and Havlicek) … in Game Five clincher vs. Indiana on 5/5/91, he made a Superman-like return after a serious fall to the floor earlier in the game; had a game high 32 points and sparked a key 39-25 run.
1991-92 FINAL SEASON: Became the NBA?S twelfth all-time scorer, as he surpassed Walt Bellamy on 11/5 … snatched 36 rebounds in two consecutive games on 12/28 - 12/30 … from March 1 to the rest of the season he played 17 games, 627 (36.9) minutes, 323 (19.0) points (123-267, 21-55, 55-60), 166 (9.8) rebounds, 132 (7.8) assists … moved into the eleventh spot on the NBA?s all-time scoring list, surpassing Hal Greer … played 54 minutes vs. Portland on 3/15, recorded 49 points (19-35, 2-8, 9-10), 14 rebounds, 12 assists and 4 steals; had 16 fourth quarter points and made a 3-point field goal with 2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game … in 9 games from 3/4 - 3/18, he grabbed 79 rebounds of which 78 came off the defensive glass … 10+ points 42 times … 20+ points 24 times … 30+ points 5 times … 40+ points once … 10+ rebounds 22 times … 10+ assists 4 times … 23 double-doubles … 1 triple-double … finished 8th among league leaders in 3-point field goal percentage and ranked second in free throw percentage.

USA COMPETITION: … Played for USA World University Games Gold Medal Team at Sofia, Bulgaria. The USA Team in the World Invitational Tournament and the 1992 Gold Medal Olympic Team ‘The Dream Team’ in Barcelona, Spain. Was co-captain of the Dream Team.

PERSONAL: Larry Joe Bird is married to the former Dinah Mattingly; has two children, a daughter, Corrie and a son Connor … has four brothers and one sister … avid outdoors man … likes Kenny Rogers?music … major fan of the St. Louis Cardinals … returns to Indiana during the summer … owns ‘Larry Bird?s Home Court Hotel’, a hotel/restaurant in Terre Haute … on 8/2/84, a street in French Lick was named in his honor … holds the annual ‘Larry Bird Pro All-Star Scholarship Classic’ during the off-season in Indiana … shoe size is 13 and a half. Announced his retirement from the NBA Boston Celtics from his home in French Lick, Indiana on August 18, 1992.

Kim Clijsters

Name : Kim Clijsters

Profession : Tennis player
Date of Birth : June 8, 1983
Place of Birth : Bilzen, Belgium
Plays : Right-handed, two-handed backhand
Biography 
She was born on the 8th of June 1983 in Bilzen, Belgium. Her father Lei was a professional soccer player. He was the first Clijsters to win sports trophies. Her mother Els is a cancer survivor. Clijsters also has a sister named Elke. Clijsters first picked up a racket when she was 5. That was when she realized she wanted to play tennis. At first, Clijsters thought it would be fun to pursue tennis as a hobby, but she was so good at just a hobby. It was obvious that a young Clijsters should be in juniors. With Lei Clijsters?incredible soccer career, the young Belgian never had trouble finding the money for coaching, traveling, and whatnot. She apparently didn?t have trouble in juniors either as she breezed through it. A couple of those trophies include a 1998 French Open Juniors doubles title, and a runner-up title at the 1998 Juniors Wimbledon. It was very clear at this point to Clijsters and her coach Carl Maes that she was ready for the WTA Tour.
When Clijsters was not very known to anyone on the WTA Tour (now know as the Sanex WTA Tour); she had won 3 satellite titles even. But she began to be some word of mouth on her premiere year of 1999, at Antwerp. After competing in the tournament as a ?lucky loser,?Clijsters reached the quarterfinals. At her first Grand Slam which was Wimbledon, Clijsters reached the 4th round after upsetting the 10th seed Amanda Coetzer in the 3rd. Although she lost in the 4th, at least she fell to her idol Steffi Graf. Her final phenomenal show at a Grand Slam was at the U.S. Open. She reached the 3rd round and faced the eventual champion Serena Williams. The loss looks as if it would be Clijsters’ biggest regret. The U.S. Open and Wimbledon were just the beginning for Clijsters.

Directly after the U.S. Open, Clijsters was at the Seat Open in Luxembourg as a qualifier. At the all Belgian semifinal, Clijsters beat World No. 2 Belgian Sabine Appelmans, and in the unexpected final, she pounded World No. 1 Belgian Dominique Van Roost. Her ranking benefited too, and reached No. 47 as a result of winning her first WTA Tour title. She followed that tournament with a final showing at Bratislava. She lost to Amelie Mauresmo, but finished the year in the Top 50. Kim is now in the Top 10 after two years of rising to the top.

Justine Henin-Hardenne

Name : Justine Henin- Hardenne

Profession : Tennis player
Date of Birth : 1 June 1982
Place of Birth : Liege, Belgium
Plays : Right-handed, one-handed backhand
Biography 
Justine Henin-Hardenne arrived in the big league in May 1999 when she crushed Sarah Pitowski 6-1, 6-2 to win her first WTA Tour singles title in Antwerp. Remarkably, the Belgian was making her debut on the senior tour and, in winning the tournament, she became only the fifth person (at that time) to win a Tour event at the first attempt. That same year, Henin-Hardenne made debut appearances at the French and US Open?s ?winning her first match at a slam at Roland Garros; defeating Kristina Brandi 6-4, 6-2. It would take Henin-Hardenne almost 20 months before she would follow-up on her early success and win another tour event.But in January 2001, Henin-Hardenne captured a second singles title on the Australian Gold Coast by beating Silvia Farina Elia of Italy 7-6 (5), 6-4. Just one week later, the Belgian had taken her title toll to three by blasting her way to glory in Canberra. En route to winning the tournament, she comfortably saw off Chanda Rubin, Magdalena Maleeva, and Sandrine Testud in the final; all without dropping a single set.
Henin-Hardenne?s scintillating form stretched into the first week of the Australian Open where she reached the fourth round. She came within a whisker of reaching the last eight at the expense of American legend Monica Seles, narrowly losing in three tough sets 6-4, 4-6, 4-6. By the middle of the season, Henin-Hardenne was regularly making appearances in the latter stages of tournaments ?proving her early season form had been no fluke. Henin-Hardenne reached the semifinals at the French Open, before losing out in three sets to Kim Clijsters - another Belgian tennis superstar in the making. A week later, Henin-Hardenne avenged that loss by beating Clijsters in the final of the Ordina Open in the Netherlands. She would put that tune-up on the grass courts of s-Hertogenbosch to perfect use in London in the coming fortnight. After toughing out a 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 win over Kristie Boogert in the second round of Wimbledon, Henin-Hardenne would go on to reach her first Grand Slam final at the historic All-England Club. Sweeping aside Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals, Henin-Hardenne advanced to a final against Venus Williams ?but struggled to contain the powerful American on the fast grass court surface ?loosing in three sets.

The year 2002 saw another two singles title bagged with title winning successes arriving from appearances in Berlin, and at Linz. Henin-Hardenne returned to Wimbledon by reaching the semifinal, after reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open earlier in the year. This was all a prelude to an unforgettable season in 2003. The year started consistently enough for Henin-Hardenne with semi-final appearances at the Adidas International in Sydney and the Australian Open. Back in Europe, Henin-Hardenne was a losing semi finalist again in Antwerp ?outdone by Belgian rival Kim Clijsters. A week later, however, saw Henin-Hardenne lift her first silverware of the season with a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5 win over Monica Seles in the final of the Dubai Duty Open. Further titles were won in Charleston and Berlin in the lead up to the second Grand Slam of the year. Here back at Roland Garros, things finally clicked for Henin-Hardenne on one of the biggest stages in world tennis. In the semifinals, she bettered Serena Williams 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 to book an all-Belgian final with Kim Clijsters.

Henin-Hardenne then held her nerve the better in a tense final to deservedly clinch the first Grand Slam singles title of her young career. Serena Williams was to avenge her defeat at the French Open by beating Henin-Hardenne in the semis at Wimbledon. Still though, Henin-Hardenne landed her second singles Grand Slam title in New York by winning the US Open, again at the expense of Belgian compatriot Kim Clijsters. (Both Venus and Serena Williams were absent through injury.) Henin-Hardenne also topped the world rankings for the first time, albeit for just one week initially. By virtue of winning the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich, and reaching the semis of the season-ending tour championships, Henin-Hardenne finished the year ranked number one in the world ?just ahead of Kim Clijsters. In all, Henin-Hardenne won 8 singles titles in 2003, including two grand slams, as well as making semifinal appearances at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon. To cap things off perfectly, Henin-Hardenne was named the ?Sanex Hero of the Year?for 2003 by fans world-wide voting en-masse in an Internet poll.