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The Wimbledon Championships are the oldest and most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. They are hosted by the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Church Road, London. The first Championships were held in 1877 and Spencer Gore of Great Britain was the first champion. The hallowed courts were opened to Women in 1884 and Maud Watson of Great Britain was the first Women's champion.
Since 1877, players belonging to 15 different countries have won the Gentlemens Singles' title and players belonging to 10 distinct countries have won the Women's Singles' title. In the year 2007, The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club brought about pay parity between Men and Women competitors. We take a look at 5 of the greatest Wimbledon Singles' Champions of all-time :
Dorothea Lambert Chambers
Dorothea Lambert Chambers of Great Britain was not only an accomplished tennis player but also competed in Badminton at the professional level and twice ended up as runner-up at the prestigious All England Badminton Championships. In a career which began in 1900, Miss Chambers won the Wimbledon Championships 7 times and also won the Olympics Singles' Gold at The 1908 London Olympic Games.
William Renshaw
William Renshaw of England won 7 Wimbledon Singles' Championships and 5 Wimbledon Doubles' Championships. He was famous for his Singles' duels with his twin brother Ernest Renshaw whom he beat in the Finals on 3 consecutive occasions. He won all his Doubles' titles with his twin brother Ernest Renshaw. William Renshaw holds the record for the most consecutive Singles' Wimbledon titles at 6.
Steffi Graf
The only professional player in history of tennis to have won at least 4 titles in each of the 4 Grand Slams, German legend Steffi Graf won 22 Grand Slam Singles' titles including 7 Wimbledon Championships. In the year 1988, she made history as she became the only tennis athlete to win a Golden Slam - winning all 4 Grand Slams and the Olympic Gold medal in the same year.
Serena Williams
Considered by many tennis fans to be the greatest tennis player of all-time, Serena Williams has won at least one Grand Slam Singles Singles' title in three different decades (the 1990's 2000's and 2010's) Her tally of 331 Grand Slam matches played is the highest in the sport's history. Her tally of 23 Grand Slam Singles' titles is the highest by any player in the Open Era. Serena Williams has won the Wimbledon Championships 7 times and may well add a few more to her tally before retirement.
Pete Sampras
American Pete Sampras nicknamed 'Pistol Pete' for his fast serves won 14 Grand Slam Majors. His record of six consecutive year-end No.1 ranking between 1993-1998 is unmatched in the sport. Sampras won Wimbledon 7 times in the years 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. At the time of his retirement in 2002, he was the sport's most decorated champion with 14 Grand Slam Majors.
Helen Wills Moody
The first female tennis superstar, American legend Helen Wills Moody dominated the Women's game in the 1920's and 1930's with her slick shots and powerful shot-making. Her style of power-packed play was so dominating that she even beat a top-ranked male tennis player comfortably in straight sets. She won a total of 19 Grand Slam titles, 12 Grand Slam Doubles' titles and 2 Olympic Gold Medals in both Singles and Doubles at the Paris Olympic Games of 1924. She won The Wimbledon Championships 8 times including 4 consecutive times between 1927 and 1930.
Roger Federer
Since his breakthrough win in Wimbledon 2001 against 7-time champion Pete Sampras in a tense 4th Round encounter, Swiss maestro Roger Federer has made winning a habit at the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon. No one would have expected the then 19-year-old Federer to eclipse Sampras' record of 7 Wimbledon titles.
But this is exactly what Roger achieved when he won his 8th Wimbledon Singles' trophy in the year 2017. Federer won his first Wimbledon title aged just 21 in 2003 and won 5 consecutive titles till 2007. His match with Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon Final is considered to be the greatest tennis match ever. 15 years after his very first Wimbledon victory, Roger Federer is still as hungry as ever and it wouldn't be a surprise at all if he adds a few more Wimbledon Championships to his Grand Slam tally.
Martina Navratilova
The Czechoslovak legend Martina Navratilova won a record 167 Singles' titles - a record which stands to this day. In a career spanning 31 years, Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam Singles' titles, a record 31 Grand Slam Doubles' titles and 10 Mixed Doubles Grand Slams. Her tally of 9 Grand Slam Singles titles at the All England Club is a record for both men and women combined. Navratilova won 6 consecutive Wimbledon Singles' titles between 1982-1987. She is one of select group of elite individuals to have won a 'Triple Crown' of Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles at every Grand Slam tournament.
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