Public opinion reflects new stance
Fred Perry made history in 1934. He won the Wimbledon men’s title for the first time in a heated battle against defending champion Jack Crawford.
But he wasn’t done. Perry won again in both 1935 and 1936. A British man wouldn’t win again until Andy Murray in 2013.
Arthur Ashe made history in 1975 when he won Wimbledon a few days before his 32nd birthday, beating Jimmy Connors, the defending champion. He was the only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.
Ashe was the first black man to win a singles title at Wimbledon. A few months later, he was recognized as the best player in the world. He even has a court named after him at the US Open.
Virginia Wade (pictured) played against Dutch powerhouse Betty Stöve in the 1977 final. Wade came out on top, becoming the first British woman to win Wimbledon.
To this day, Wade is the only British female champion in Wimbledon history. Queen Elizabeth II was present for the match, and even presented the trophy to the champion.
John McEnroe (left) and Bjorn Borg (right) had a rivalry unlike any other in tennis history. The two played each other plenty of times, yet the 1980 final was a particularly memorable match.
During the game, there was a tiebreak that lasted an incredible 22 minutes. McEnroe won the tiebreak, but lost the match: 8-6 in the last set.
Borg and McEnroe faced off once again in the 1981 final. McEnroe won this time, but not without some bumps on the way.
"You cannot be serious" shouted McEnroe, after an umpire denied him a serve. The player went off on a tangent, "you guys are the absolute pits of the world, you know that?" he yelled. Almost 40 years later, the lines are etched into everyone’s memory. Eventually, the American won the game.
German player Steffi Graf (left) made an impact like no other in 1988. At just 18 years old, she beat defending champion Martina Navratilova (right) in the women's final.
In 1990, Martina Navratilova (pictured) was on a mission. She set out to win her ninth Wimbledon final, beating Helen Wills' record of eight.
Navratilova didn’t let up during her seven singles matches. She didn’t even concede a set, going on to win nine Wimbledon tournaments.
Martina Hingis (pictured) was just 15 years old when she won the women’s doubles title with Helena Sukova.
In doing so, the Swiss player became the youngest Wimbledon champion ever. She still holds that title to this day.
No one expected 30-year-old Goran Ivanisevic to win Wimbledon. He'd lost three finals previously, and had never managed to get a Grand Slam title. What's more, he was only at the 2001 tournament thanks to a wild card spot.
2001’s final was the start of a new era for tennis. Pete Sampras (right) was a seven-time Wimbledon champion and a true force to be reckoned with on the court. Quite a challenge for rising star Roger Federer (left).
It was 19-year-old Roger’s debut at Wimbledon, and the competition was Sampras' court. But Federer pulled through, showing unmatched determination. Roger would go on to become an all-time great, while Sampras would never win Wimbledon again.
Venus Williams (top) was going for her third Wimbledon singles title in 2005. She hadn’t won a Grand Slam title in four years, so it was all to play for in the final against Lindsay Davenport (bottom).
John McEnroe said this face-off was the greatest match he’d ever seen. Nadal vs. Federer gripped the nation, with iconic skills and phenomenal plays on display.
Federer was gunning for his sixth Wimbledon in a row, while Nadal was hoping for his first. After a game packed with action, Nadal came out on top, kickstarting his killer winning streak.
This may seem like a mundane moment in Wimbledon’s history, but it’s one of the most important. Rain had ruined plenty of games in the past, so a roof was set up over Centre Court in 2009.
Funnily enough, the 2009 season got off to a sunny start. But the British weather swiftly returned, and Wimbledon’s Centre Court was well-prepared.
In 2010, France’s Nicolas Mahut (right) played American John Isner (left). What viewers expected was a clean cut game with a reasonable outcome.
What they got was the longest match in tennis history. The intense face-off lasted three days, with a combined time of 11 hours and five minutes. 183 games later, Isner came out on top, with a well-earned victory unlike any other.
Where were you when Murray won Wimbledon? It had been 77 years since Fred Perry was victorious, leaving Scotland’s Andy Murray to keep the ball rolling.
Murray played against Novak Djokovic, the world number one with a blood-curdling backhand. Three hours later, Murray came out on top, falling to his knees in disbelief and delight.
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Cori "Coco" Gauff beat Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon winner, in a qualifier when she was just 15 years old. The victory was considered quite a shock, and many believe Gauff has what it takes to be a champion.
History was made on July 6, 1957, when Althea Gibson claimed the women’s singles tennis title at Wimbledon and simultaneously became the first Black person and African American woman to win a championship at London’s All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
She defeated Darlene Hard, 6-3, 6-2, and went on to also win the US Open that same year. Gibson was notably one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis.
Marketa Vondrousova, a 24-year-old left-hander from the Czech Republic, became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon on July 15, 2023, with a victory over 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the Women's Singles Final. Just a year ago, Vondrousova had undergone wrist surgery and was unable to play at all. "I think it was the most impossible Grand Slam for me to win, so I didn’t even think of it," Vondrousova said, per AP News. "When we came, I was just like, ‘Try to win a couple of matches.’ Now this happened. It’s crazy.”
She's the first unseeded woman to even reach the final at the All England Club in 60 years, the last of whom was 1963 runner-up Billie Jean King, who happened to be seated in the front row of the Royal Box for Vondrousova's win.
When it comes to summer sports events, Wimbledon could be the world's best. The tennis tournament invites the sport's shining stars to its green, grassy courts. What makes Wimbledon exciting is its world-class players, from teenage triumphs like Coco Gauff to veteran players like Andy Murray.
As this year's tournament comes to a close, click on to see Wimbledon's most memorable moments through history.
The most memorable moments in Wimbledon history
Carlos Alcaraz wins Wimbledon for second consecutive year
LIFESTYLE Tennis
When it comes to summer sports events, Wimbledon could be the world's best. The tennis tournament invites the sport's shining stars to its green, grassy courts. What makes Wimbledon exciting is its world-class players, from teenage triumphs like Coco Gauff to veteran players like Andy Murray.
As this year's tournament comes to a close, click on to see Wimbledon's most memorable moments through history.