Nicolas Kiefer

Date of Birth: 07/05/1977
Place of Birth: Holzminden
Country: Germany

He first picked up a racket when he was six years old, and it was just the prelude to an impressive youth career. He won the junior Australian Open and the US Open, two very prestigious tournaments that set the path for a professional career. He went pro in 1995, when he turned eighteen. Two years later he won his first ATP tournament: Toulouse in 1997, where he beat Philippoussis in the finals. The following year, he won his first doubles title (with Ostrava), and in 1999 he began to come into his own, winning three ATP tournaments (Halle, Taskent, and Tokyo) and making it to the finals in Dubai and Vienna.

In 2000, he won the tournaments in Dubai and Hong Kong, having established himself as the number one German player several years prior. He then continued to make it to the finals at a series of tournaments: Moscow, Halle twice, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Memphis, and Scottsdale. In 2005, he made it to the finals in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and made it to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and the US Open.

He is a big fan of the Hannover 96 football team that competes in the Bundesliga. In the summer of 2005 he entered the field and scored a goal in a friendly match with his favorite team.