Don Budge was an American tennis champion counted among the greatest tennis players of all time. He held the World No. 1 rank for five years, first as an amateur and then as a professional, and was the first player to win the four tournaments that comprise the Grand Slam of tennis in a single year. Born in California as the son of a former soccer player, he was exposed to the world of sports at an early age. Having inherited his father’s love for soccer, he played the sport alongside several others including basketball and tennis. It was during his teenage that he decided to focus more on tennis. Tall and strongly built, he was a pioneer in the practice of power tennis and was probably the first player to use his backhand. At the age of 19 he was selected to represent his country in international Davis Cup competition, and over the ensuing years emerged to be one of the best players of tennis the world had ever produced. He dominated amateur tennis before turning professional, and over the course of his career he won ten majors, of which six were Grand Slams. Following his retirement he coached and conducted tennis clinics for children.