5 Oldest Wimbledon Singles Champions

Since the first Wimbledon Championships were held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club 151 years ago in 1877, players from 15 different countries have lifted the coveted trophy with Great Britain leading the pack with 37 titles followed by the United States of America with 32 titles. The early years saw British players dominating the Championships winning titles year after years. This trend was stopped when Australian Norman Brookes won the title in 1907 becoming the first overseas player to win at The All England Club. His victory paved the way for overseas talent to shine and excel at the exalted grass of Centre Court. We take a look at 5 men who have defied the odds and won the Championship beating much younger men :

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#5 Roger Federer

Roger Federer with his 8th Wimbledon crown

The man with the most titles in the Amateur and Open Era combined, Roger Federer won Wimbledon on 5 consecutive occasions between 2003-2007. He was also a winner in 2009 and 2012. He was runner-up in the years 2008, 2014 and 2015. In 2017 he made history by becoming the oldest Wimbledon Singles Champion in the Open Era when he beat Croat Marin Cilic in straight sets to win his record 8th Wimbledon Championship. Roger was 35 years 342 days old when he won his 8th title.

#4 Herbert Lawford

Herbert Lawford

Scotsman Herbert Lawford pioneered the introduction of 'topspin' to the sport and his technical contributions in bringing innovation and new shot-making to the sport is well-documented. He holds the record with Artur Gore for finishing runner-up at the Championships a record 5 times. He, however, won his 4th final in 1887 at the age of 36 years 53 days.

#3 Norman Brookes

Norman Brookes with his wife

Australian Norman Brookes after whom the Australian Men's Singles trophy is named was the first overseas player to win the Gentlemen's Singles title at The All England Club. He did so in the year 1907. The 5-time Davis Cup winner would add a 2nd Wimbledon trophy to his trophy collection 7 years after his victory at the All England Club. He was 36 years 234 days when he won the title in 1914.

#2 Bill Tilden

'Big' Bill Tilden

American Bill Tilden nicknamed 'Big Bill' was the first American to win the Wimbledon Championships. Widely respected by his fellow players, Bill won a total of 10 Grand Slam Singles titles in his career and was the top-ranked player between 1920-1925. He was the first player to reach 10 Wimbledon finals. A feat that was broken by Roger Federer in the year 2011. Bill was a 7-time Davis Cup winner and 3-time Wimbledon champion winning his last Wimbledon title in 1930 at the age of 37 years 146 days.

#1 Arthur Gore

Gore On Court

British player Arthur Gore holds the record with compatriot Herbert Lawford for the most runner-up trophies collected at Wimbledon. But the most impressive statistic of his career is that he is the only man to not only have won one but two Wimbledon Singles titles after turning 40. Arthur Gore also was a Davis Cup winner in 1912 at the age of 44. He also won the Gold medal in Singles and Doubles at the 1908 Olympic Games at the age of 40. He won Wimbledon in 1909 at the age of 41 years 184 days.