Famous Lefties

Rafa's six Grand Slam singles titles and '08 Olympic gold medal make him one of the most feared men in tennis. His battles with Roger Federer pit righty versus lefty. With those two slated to battle in the French Open, which begins on May 23, SI.com looks at some of the most famous lefties in sports.

Is he the greatest baseball player who ever lived? One thing's for sure: The Great Bambino was a lefty.

Russell won 11 NBA titles and five MVP awards over a 13-year career with the Boston Celtics, dominating the paint on defense.

Gehrig was a terror from the left side of the plate, hitting for a career average of .340 and smashing 493 home runs. He holds the record for most career grand slams, with 23.

Seven All-Star selections, four World Series rings, three Cy Young awards, one NL MVP and two World Series MVPs are more than enough to land Koufax on this list of famous lefties.

Barry's statistics, overshadowed as they are by allegations that he used performance enhancers, include 762 career homers, 73 in one season, 2,935 career hits, 1,996 RBI, and seven NL MVP awards.

Golf's "Lefty" turned pro in 1992, and since has racked up 38 wins on the PGA Tour, including four Major Championships. Is he the best left-hander ever to pick up a club?

Now with the Broncos, Tebow can finally add NFL quarterback to his list of achievements, which includes a Heisman Trophy and multiple NCAA championships.

Laver is the only tennis player in history to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year two times. He's so cool, Adidas's Rod Laver sneaker continues to sell today.

Despite a portly frame, Carsten Charles Sabathia is regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball today. In 2009, he went 19-8 with 197 strikeouts with the champion Yankees.

The No. 1 pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, Robinson played all 14 years in San Antonio, racking up more than 20,000 points and winning two championships.

Boomer spent the majority of his career at the helm for the Bengals, including 1988, when he was named NFL MVP. He also played for the Cardinals and Jets.

Goodrich starred on the first two national championship teams at UCLA before a Hall of Fame pro career spent mostly with the Lakers, making him a Los Angeles legend.

Before Bruce Jenner was just another character on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, he was an Olympic gold medalist for the U.S. in the decathlon at the 1976 games in Montreal.

James Scott Connors won more than 80 percent of his matches as a professional, and is considered among the greatest players in history.

The original "Bad Boy of Tennis," McEnroe was a wild force on the court, but also a top player. He won seven Grand Slam singles titles and nine Grand Slam doubles titles.

The Kid has 630 career home runs to his name, while he is also considered one of the game's all-time great centerfielders. The 1997 MVP is now in his 22nd MLB season.

Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove made his big league debut in 1925 with the Philadelphia Athletics and went on to a 300-win career with the A's and Red Sox.

Billie Jean King called Navratilova the "greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived." On top of that, she did it playing left-handed.

At 6-foot-1, "Tiny" was unimposing, but with the ball in his hands, he was a menace. His Hall of Fame career included time with the Royals, Kings, Nets, Celtics and Bucks.

Mickelson is the left-handed star of the PGA, but Weir was the first southpaw to win The Masters, in 2003. That victory also made him the first Canadian ever to win a Major.

Jackson hit 563 home runs over a 20-year career with the A's, Orioles, Yankees and Angels, but is best known for his clutch hitting, earning him the nickname Mr. October.

In 17 years with the New York Yankees, Ford won six World Series titles. He has more World Series wins than any other pitcher in history, and was named MVP of the 1961 series.

Carlton was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994 after a more than 20-year career over which he played for six teams, winning titles with the Cards and Phils.

Sure, having the game's greatest receiver at your disposal is a big help, but Young was no slouch himself. He won three Super Bowls and two MVPs over a Hall of Fame career.

Five times Glavine won at least 20 games in a season, and he is one of just six left-handers to win 300 games. He also has two Cy Youngs and a World Series MVP trophy.

Howard made his MLB debut in late 2004 and never looked back. The 2006 NL MVP was the fastest player in baseball history to reach 100 home runs and 200 home runs.

While he's best remembered for his limping onto the court in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, Reed won Rookie of the Year, MVP and was a seven-time All-Star.

Spahn's 23-year Hall of Fame career included stops with the Braves, Mets and Giants. Along the way, he won 363 total games and a Cy Young award in 1957.

A six-time NBA All-Star, Lanier's No. 16 jersey hangs in the rafters in Detroit and Milwaukee, where he starred to the tune of 19,248 career points.

Known as "The Cow" or "Big Red," Dave Cowens' smooth left hand was responsible for more than 13,000 career points and MVP honors in 1973.

Considered one of the best college basketball players of all-time, Walton went on to win two NBA titles -- one each with Portland (when he was Finals MVP) and Boston.

CB4 has quickly become one of the biggest superstars in the NBA today. Bosh is already a five-time All-Star thanks to his sweet left hand.

The Big Unit retired in 2009 with more than 300 wins, 4,800 strikeouts and a legacy as one of the most unhittable flame-throwing lefties to ever take the mound.

Vick's cannon left arm made him the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in 2001, and while legal troubles have tripped him up, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback still has elite athleticism.

At 31, Santana already has a career record of 125-62, a career ERA of 3.14, 1,773 strikeouts and two Cy Young trophies.

On Mother's Day, 2010, Dallas Braden delivered the 19th perfect game in Major League history. His rare game marked just the eighth time a left-handed pitcher had ever accomplished the feat, joining the likes of Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson and Mark Buehrle.