One of the oldest and most famous tournaments in the world will start June 27 at the All-England Club, and tennis fans will turn their attention to the grass courts and top talent once more.
Although Roger Federer holds court as the most dominant player at Wimbledon with the most wins, Novak Djokovic has been hot on his trail capturing the most recent three tournaments.
Federer and Djokovic are two of the players with multiple wins at the prestigious tournament.
Following is a list of all the players who have made their presence known on the grass courts in the open era.
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Roger Federer
Owning the green with eight wins is Federer, whose reign began in 2003, when he won his first major title. With the win, Federer began a streak at the tournament, winning the next four years in ‘04, ‘05, ‘06 and ‘07 as well. Rafael Nadal, who Federer had defeated in ‘06 and ‘07 for two titles, finally got the better of Federer in 2008, however Federer bounced back in 2009 for another title. The win was his 15th major, breaking Pete Sampras’ record for major titles. Federer won once more in 2012 before his most recent Wimbledon title in 2017.
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Pete Sampras
From 1993 to 2000, there was no one who played better in England than Sampras. Sampras’ first streak began in 1993, the same year he won his second U.S. Open. What followed was two more consecutive wins at Wimbledon for Sampras, stopped in 1996 in the quarterfinals by Richard Krajicek, the eventual winner. The loss was only a blip for Sampras though, as he returned to Wimbledon the next year and rattled off four more wins from ‘97-2000. With his final Wimbledon win in 2000, Sampras earned his 13th major title to break Roy Emerson’s record of 12. In six straight years, from 1993 to ‘98, Sampras closed out the year ranked No. 1, a feat still not matched.
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Novak Djokovic
With the last three Championships ending with Djokovic as the last one standing, he looks ready to tie Sampras’ Wimbledon title count of seven. Djokovic won his first Wimbledon in 2011, also winning the Australian and U.S. Open that year. Though he made it to the finals in ‘13, he didn’t win again at the All England Club until ‘14, when he won back-to-back titles by defeating Federer both years. Djokovic’s sixth and most recent Wimbledon win in 2021 was his 20th major title, tying both Federer and Nadal at the top.
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Bjorn Borg
Before Sampras, there was Borg, who ruled the grass courts in the late 1970s with five straight wins. Called “The Iceman,” Borg captured his first Wimbledon title in 1976 and went on to win the next four. John McEnroe, who Borg had beaten the previous year for his final Wimbledon title, ended Borg’s reign in 1981. Borg retired in ‘83 at the age of 26 with a Wimbledon record of 51-4, which remains the highest match winning percentage at the tournament.
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Rod Laver
Finishing his career with four Wimbledon titles was Laver, who won two before the open era. Laver won his first title in 1961, and returned to England the following year and defended his title, winning the first two as an amateur. He also won his first calendar Grand Slam in ‘62 as an amateur, winning the Australian, French and U.S. Open that same year. Following his Grand Slam, Laver turned pro and was subsequently banned from competing in the majors until the ban was lifted in ‘68, marking the start of the open era. “The Rocket” got right back to it, winning back-to-back Wimbledon titles in ‘68 and ‘69 once more, capping his fourth Wimbledon win with a second career Grand Slam.
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Boris Becker
Just two years after joining the professional tour in 1983, Becker won his first Wimbledon title. At 17 years and 7 months, Becker became the youngest male Wimbledon champion in history. He defended his title on the grass courts the following year, becoming the only player to win the Wimbledon men’s single’s twice before 20 years old. Becker’s final win at Wimbledon came in 1989, the same year he won his lone U.S Open title.
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John McEnroe
Known for his fiery personality on the court, McEnroe won three times in his career at Wimbledon. Before winning his first title in 1981, rival Borg and the American competed in a classic in the 1980 finals that lasted 4½ hours and went to a 34-point tiebreaker. Though he fell in that match, McEnroe avenged the loss the following year, defeating Borg at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. McEnroe’s final two wins came back-to-back in ‘83 and ‘84. McEnroe finished the ‘84 season with the best record of his career, going 82-3 and winning the U.S. Open once more.
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John Newcombe
Another who won some of his Wimbledon titles prior to the open era, Newcombe won three times at the All England Club. Newcombe won his first championship in 1967, one year before the open era officially began and the same year he won his first single’s title in the U.S. Open.
After Laver won a couple of titles, including defeating Newcombe in ‘69, Newcombe went back-to-back in ‘70 and ‘71 for his final two Wimbledon wins.
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Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Stefan Edberg and Jimmy Connors
Four players also have two titles. Rafael Nadal, king of the clay, has won on the grass courts in 2008 and ‘10 while Murray’s titles came in 2013 and ‘16. Connors, meanwhile, won in 1974 and ‘82 with Edberg winning at Wimbledon in 1988 and ‘90.
So who will it be this year? Will Djokovic move to second all-time at Wimbledon with his fourth straight title? Or will this be the year Nadal gets his third win after winning two majors already in 2022? Take your pick and place your bet on the winner at BetUS.com.
