The Greatest Wimbledon Matches of All-Time
The 5 Greatest Wimbledon Matches in Tennis History
The best of the best have played on Wimbledon’s grass courts over the years.
But what are the greatest Wimbledon matches of all-time? Which matches had us on the edge of our seats?
The Duchess of Kent comforts Jana Novotna after her loss to Steffi Graff. Daily Express.
Wimbledon is the oldest of the majors and it has a prestige and point of difference that has created an incredible history of matches over the years.
It’s a heady mix of grass, dives, characters and emotion. Take a look at these five for drama. These are the greatest matches in Wimbledon history.
5. Jana Novotna v Steffi Graff: Ladies’ Singles Final 1993
The late Jana Novotna had a very novel way of looking at this match.
She said: “For me, it was the best thing that happened to my life. The next day, because of everything that happened during the ceremony and during the match, I opened the newspapers and I was on the front page of every newspaper, I felt like a winner..”
Lesser humans would have crumbled and had nightmares forever.
Novotna was playing two-time defending champion Steffi Graf, one of the greatest female tennis players ever, having defeated nine-time SW19 champion Martina Navratilova in the semis.
After losing the first set on a very tight tiebreak, the Czech steamrollered through the second 6-1 by flying to the net and putting Graf off her game.
She then burst into a 4-1 lead in the third with a game point on her serve. Those dastardly “you can’t do this” doubts suddenly emerged.
The number eight seed served a double fault, jerked a forehand volley wide out of the court, and then smashed an overhead into the net. She never recovered and lost the decider 6-4.
Famously, Novotna cried tears of despair at the presentation ceremony, which was thoughtfully handled by the comforting shoulder of the Duchess of Kent. The Duchess whispered that she would win Wimbledon one day.
After losing in the final to Martina Hingis in 1997, Novotna finally came up trumps the following year when she defeated Nathalie Tauziat.
The love she gave that trophy on that day was shared by anyone with a heart. Novotna passed away in 2017 at the age of 49.
4. Roger Federer v Andy Roddick: Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Final 2009
After the pain of 2008, Federer must have thought that a match-up against Andy Roddick, whom he had beaten in 2004 and 2005, was going to be slightly easier. It wasn’t.
Under the watchful eye of Jimmy Connors, Roddick had already outsmarted Andy Murray in the semi-final and was looking sharp.
He continued in that vein, taking the first set 7-5 and then building a 6-2 lead in the second set tiebreak which he somehow lost.
Another tight tiebreak followed to give Federer the lead but Roddick refused to go away and made it to the decider.
Federer was 8-8 and 15-40 but saved himself with a service winner and a drive volley.
Eventually, the American cracked in the 30th game as the Swiss prevailed 16-14. “Andy played unbelievably,” said the champion. He did.
Roddick mused: “I felt like I did as much as I could, save for winning two more points.”
3. Goran Ivanisevic v Pat Rafter: Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Final 2001
This was the Wimbledon that home favourite and perennial bridesmaid, Tim Henman, could and maybe should have won.
Unfortunately, he lost in the semi-final over three days against three-time runner-up Goran Ivanisevic.
Ivanisevic had only gained entry into the tournament via a wild card. “This is destiny. God wanted me to win this game – he sent the rains,” he claimed. There was some fate at play there.
The Croat made it all the way to Manic Monday when the final overspilled into a 15th day because of the heavens.
There was a more raucous Centre Court crowd as 10,000 tickets were sold on a first-come basis, making for a crowd who were more football febrile than strawberry and Pimm’s.
There was also a very deft opponent in Pat Rafter, a former US Open champion.
The first three sets were dominated by serve with the Eastern European having the edge but then getting distracted by a foot fault in the fourth.
In a tense fifth set, Goran could barely throw the ball up when serving it out, such were his nerves, but he managed to squeak over the line 9-7 to bring the house down.
“It was an unsolved mystery how I won,” he admitted.
Read more awesome content on our tennis blog
2. John McEnroe v Bjorn Borg: Gentlemen’s Singles Final 1980
Borg v McEnroe is a story that has transcended tennis. The BBC’s ‘Gods of Tennis’ documentary has just given its latest narrative on the epic rivalry, and the iconic 2017 film ‘Borg vs McEnroe’ tells the tale of this match.
On a summer’s day in 1980, a 21-year-old in-your-face New Yorker was taking on the lowest pulse in competitive sport in the form of Sweden’s Bjorn Borg.
There was a fantastic difference of styles; Superbrat’s southpaw coming up against the steely machine-like right-hander.
Borg came out very slow and lost the first set 6-1 but began to play with quiet menace, like an ice-breaker, and rolled through the next two.
The fourth set is what makes cinema, with both players in hand-to-hand combat. The Swede had seven match points.
A 22-minute tiebreak was like the greatest cameo of competitive tennis in one edible portion. McEnroe prevailed 18-16 to take it to a decider.
Borg regained his composure, losing just three more points on his serve. McEnroe never gave in to his mouth or his opponent, but finally lost the fifth set 8-6.
A beautiful friendship had been formed out of the fire and ice. Borg said: “We became very close after the 1980 Wimbledon final.
Before that, as everyone knows, he was a bit crazy on the court and expressed his feelings more.
But in that particular match, he didn’t say a word. He got so much respect from people all over because that was a different side of him.”
1. Rafa Nadal v Roger Federer: Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Final 2008
This was the third consecutive SW19 final between the king of grass, Federer, and the crown prince of clay, Nadal. It was clear from the five-set 2007 version that the third in the trilogy might be a cracker.
Nadal stormed into a two-set lead and all seemed lost for the Swiss as he was driven to distraction by the laser-like focus of the Majorca man.
The Spaniard had destroyed his biggest rival at the French Open final and the confidence was flowing through his huge muscular forearms.
A rain delay changed the mindset of the reigning champion as he came out firing and took the third on a tiebreak.
Somehow, Federer saved himself in another fourth-set shoot-out when he was 2-5 down. It was described by Andrew Castle as the best tiebreak since Borg and McEnroe in 1980.
Nadal’s astonishing forehand set up a match point which was thwarted by a scintillating backhand lasered over the net. Federer roared to take it 10-8.
It was a race against time in the decider as the natural light faded on Centre Court but at 7-7, the Swiss faltered on serve and his rule over Wimbledon from 2003 to 2007 was brought to an end at approximately 9.15pm.
The match lasted four hours and 48 minutes and was classified as an instant classic between two of the greatest male tennis players of all-time.
What is your favourite Wimbledon match of all-time? Tell us in the comments! And check out our list of over 100 tennis quotes!
