Women's Tennis: 5 Greatest Wimbledon Finals of all-time

The 'Venus Rose Water Dish' awarded to the winner of the Women's Singles Championships at the All England Club has been the most coveted trophy in Women's tennis since 1884 - the year the tournament was first held for Women.

The Ladies Singles Final has always preceded the Men's Singles Final and is contested on the second Saturday of the tournament. Center Court has been witness to the finals matches played since inception.

The Final of the Championships draws some celebrity spectators and even members of the Royal Family of Great Britain. The Venus Rose Water Dish is presented to the winner by His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent and this has been the norm for quite a few years.

Winning the Championships is an everlasting memory for the champions - Marion Bartoli who won the title in 2013 and famously retired after that spoke of how she relived her victory at Centre Court frequently and even sleeps with the replica of the Rosewater Dish by her side.

The right to lift the trophy has on many occasions lead to some terrific matches in the final and we focus on 5 of the greatest Wimbledon Women's Singles matches of all-time.

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#1 Steffi Graf vs Gabriella Sabbatini (1991)

Steffi Graf after winning the 1991 Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship

The 1991 Wimbledon final pitted top-seed and World #1 Steffi Graf battle it out against Argentine 2nd seed Gabriella Sabbatini. Neither Graf nor Sabbatini had dropped a single set en-route to their finals match-up.

The two athletes split the first two sets. Sabbatini had opportunities to serve out the match on 2 occasions in the deciding set but nerves got the better off her as she squandered her chances. The resilient Steffi Graf won her 3rd Wimbledon Championships by winning the contest 6-4, 3-6, 8-6.

#2 Margaret Court vs Billie Jean King (1970)

Court On Centre Court lifting the Wimbledon Singles Trophy - 1970

Australian legend Margaret Court Smith needed seven match points to see off the longest women's Wimbledon final in history in terms of games played. And it lasted only two sets.

Court's 14-12, 11-9 victory over Billie Jean King in the final of the 1970 Wimbledon Championships was an all-time classic. Both the players weren't 100% fit going into the match and both had niggles. Court had ankle issues and King had a Knee injury.

King saved the first match point that she faced at 6-7 in the second set, and then again at 9-10, she saved two more match points after trailing 15-40. On her seventh match point, Court finally took home the Venus Rose Water Dish in the match's 46th game. No other Wimbledon women's final match has since surpassed this figure.

#3 Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert (1978)

Martina Navratilova with the 1978 Wimbledon trophy

One of the most epic rivalries in the history of tennis was between two players who managed to win 18 Grand Slam Singles titles each - Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Navratilova is without a doubt the greatest grass court player of all-time that the women's game has seen and Evert holds the title on clay courts.

The 23-year-old Chris Evert was #1 in the world and was cruising to victory in the second set having won the first comfortably. She had won this tournament in 1974 and 1976. Navratilova was yet to win a Grand Slam title. Navratilova rallied back to save three break points in the second set to serve it out and take the set 6-4.

The third set was a combination of a see-saw battle and a contrast in playing styles. Navratilova broke early out to take a 2-0 lead before Evert won the next four games on the trot. But it was Navratilova who had the last laugh as Evert just couldn't finish her opponent off. Navratilova won 12 of the last 13 points to win the third set 7-5 and take home her first Grand Slam title. the scoreline read 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 in Navratilova's favor.

#4 Steffi Graf vs Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (1995)

Steffi Graf at the 1995 Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship

Although the rivalry between Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario never quite reached the heights of the Evert-Navratilova rivalry, Graf and Vicario were the preeminent players in 1995. They had already traded the world #1 ranking six times that year before meeting in their classic Wimbledon final encounter.

The match was pretty much routine stuff until the third set. At 5-5, Vicario was serving to take a 6-5 lead. The 11th game lasted 20 minutes and included 13 deuces. Vicario had eight game points and Graf six. Graf eventually broke serve on the 32nd point of the game, then held serve to complete a 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory. It was her 6th Wimbledon title and 19th Grand Slam title overall.

1996 final was a repeat of 1995 final but in 1996, Graf secured a comfortable win against Vicario to take home her 7th Wimbledon title.

#5 Venus Williams vs Lindsay Davenport (2005)

Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport at the 2005 Wimbledon Championships

Lindsay Davenport was the #1 ranked player in the world at the time, and Venus Williams, despite having won the Wimbledon Championships twice in 2000 and 2001, had slipped to No. 16. Going into the tournament, Williams was seeded 14th.

A single break of the Williams' serve was all that Davenport needed to win the first set 6-4. The second set was equally close and it was Venus who pegged back winning the set 7-6 (7-4).

Davenport allowed a 4-2, 40-15 lead slip away in the third set of the match, and she had to leave the court soon after to treat a back injury. After returning back to the court following a medical timeout, Davenport had a match point at 4-5 on Williams' serve which she squandered.

Williams eventually won the third set 9-7 in 2 hours and 45 minutes (longest ever Women's Singles Final at Wimbledon). Venus Williams was the lowest seeded player at the time to win Wimbledon and the only player in the Open era to fend off Championship points before taking home the trophy.