Roger Federer

World No. 1 tennis player Roger Federer may have a locker full of Grand Slam titles--but he has come to Beijing courting an elusive medal: Olympic gold.

Despite finishing fourth in Sydney and surprisingly failing to progress past the Second Round in Athens, you could say Federer is in love with the Olympics.

Eight years ago, at Sydney 2000, single women across the world sadly took out their pens to cross Federer's name from their list of eligible bachelors after the Swiss ace met his long-term partner, former professional tennis player Mirka Vavrinec.

He didn't get the gold, but he did get the girl -- although more recently Federer has been fending off the advances of a different kind of suitor -- 22-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal has eyed Federer's coveted Men's No. 1 tennis crown and will finally succeed him as the sport's top-ranked player on August 18.

A relatively poor 2008 by his own high standards hasn't prevented Federer from being seeded No. 1 for the Beijing 2008 Men's Singles contest. Indeed, he celebrated his 27th birthday in style on Friday (August 8), by proudly carrying the Swiss flag into the National Stadium during the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.