Tommy Haas

At five years of age, Tommy Haas won his first youth tournament, in Hamburg. At eight years old, he won his second, in Munich. Between eleven and thirteen, Haas would twice win the Austrian Championship, the German Championship, and the European Championship.

Haas's talents were noted by world renowned tennis guru Nick Bollettieri. Nick was so impressed by the young German's talent that he offered Haas the chance to stay and train at his Bollettieri Academy in Florida for free. At 13, speaking little English, Haas moved to Florida to begin training at the academy.

In 1996, Haas became a professional tennis player. He gained attention as a future tennis star when he won his first ATP title in 1999 and managed to make it to the semi-finals of the Australian Open and was a finalist in the Grand Slam Cup. The following year he won a silver medal in the Sydney Olympics. Haas reached a career-high ranking of World No.2 in May 2002.