The Wimbledon Championships is the most prestigious and the oldest tennis tournament. No prize for guessing that the 133-year-old tournament has encountered some of the greatest tennis matches ever played.
The world witnessed one of the greatest Championships finals on Sunday as the world no. 1, Novak Djokovic battled past the eight-time Wimbledon champion, Roger Federer in an epic five-setter. The Serb saved two championship points to claim the 5th Wimbledon Championships title after winning the final set tiebreaker.
Just days after witnessing one of the best Gentlemen's singles matches at the SW19, we bring to you the most epic Gentlemen's singles matches played at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in the past decade.
1. Wimbledon Championships 2019 Finals: Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer
The no. 1 seed and the no. 2 seed at the Wimbledon Championships 2019 played the longest singles finals at SW19 with nothing to differentiate between the two. However, Novak Djokovic edged past Roger Federer 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 13-12 (7-3) to retain his Wimbledon Championships title and conquer the 16th grand slam title of his career.
It was the first time when the final set tiebreaker was played with the new rule coming prior to the start of Wimbledon Championships 2019. The new rule states that the traditional seven-points tiebreaker will be played at 12-12. This was done to shorten the length of matches as there have been many lengthy matches at the Championships with nothing to differentiate between the two players in the final set.
Roger Federer was bidding to become the oldest Grand Slam champion of the open era. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic became the first man to win Wimbledon singles final having been down match point since 1948 when Bob Falkenburg saved three match points and came back to beat John Bromwich.
It was one of the most unusual matches as one could not believe how the 32-year-old was on the top of Federer after looking at the stats. The Serb trailed the Swiss on almost everything, be it the first-serve points won, winners made, aces, breakpoints converted, games won and total points won and led him on double faults. However, he won the key points in the match, especially in the final set to edge past his opponent.
2. Wimbledon Championships 2008 Finals: Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer
Not many will disagree that the Wimbledon Championships 2008 finals played between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is one of the greatest they have ever witnessed. The two legends were competing against each other for milestones of their own. While Rafael Nadal was bidding for his maiden Wimbledon Championships title, Roger Federer was aiming to become the first man to win 6 consecutive titles in the modern era.
After 4 hours and 48 minutes of mind blogging tennis with a long delay due to rain, Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7 in his most successful major. He also ended the Swiss 41-match winning streak at Wimbledon.
Due to the rain delay, the match ended in the near darkness. However, it was the last Wimbledon Championships final to be significantly affected by rain as the retractable roof was installed on the Centre Court in 2009. Roger Federer's inability to convert break points, cost him the match as he could manage to win only one of thirteen break points on the Spaniard's serve.
3. Wimbledon Championships 2019: Reilly Opelka vs Stan Wawrinka
Reilly Opelka vs Stan Wawrinka
The Wimbledon Championships always encounters the biggest upsets in tennis. The Championships 2019 was no different than others as the tournament was filled with early upsets. Reilly Opelka pulled off another one as he defeated 3-time grand slam champion, Stan Wawrinka in a thrilling five-setter on 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 8-6, on No. 2 Court.
The 6-foot-11 American made his debut at Wimbledon and was playing his only fourth major tournament. He was also playing the third round of a grand slam event for the first time in his career. On the other hand, Stan Wawrinka has won all the other three grand slam titles but has never been past the quarterfinals at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
There was very little to differentiate between the two players and it looked like for the first time the final set tiebreaker at the Championships would be played. However, Opelka turned the match around when Wawrinka looked to have the upper hand as the American giant made tactical adjustments on his serve as he easily held his serve before breaking his opponent in the 14th game to claim his second top-20 win in majors.
4. Wimbledon Championships 2009 Finals: Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick
Roger Federer and Andy Roddick were meeting for the third time at the Wimbledon Championships finals and fourth time in a grand slam final. The Championships finals in 2009 between the Federer and Roddick is a historic match as it saw the Swiss capturing a record fifteenth major title, breaking the all-time grand slam record held by Pete Sampras.
After 4 hours and 17 minutes of grueling tennis, Roger Federer defeated the American in a thrilling five-setter 5–7, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5), 3–6, 16–14. In the final set, both the players held their serve strongly in the first sixteen games as the two giants did not face a single breakpoint opportunity. Andy Roddick finally earned an opportunity at 8-8 when his opponent was 15-40 down.
However, the Swiss denied the American to serve for the match as he held his serve nervously. Federer then broke the American for the first time in the match, to win the set 16-14. This set recorded the longest fifth set in a Grand Slam final. It is the only time in the major final history where a player was defeated despite only having their serve broken once in the whole match.
5. Wimbledon Championships 2010: John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut
John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut
The match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut in the Wimbledon Championships 2010 is recorded to be the longest tennis match in the history of the sport, measured by both time and number of games played. The first-round match between the no. 23 seed, John Isner and the French qualifier, Nicolas Mahut began lasted for 11 hours and 5 minutes. The match is also referred to as 'endless match'.
The two giants broke many records in the match including serving more than 100 aces in a single match. After almost 3 hours of play on Court No. 18, the play was suspended due to fading light on Tuesday evening on 22nd June 2010. The play resumed the next day but it was again suspended after 6 hours of tennis with the last set tied at 59-59. The play was again resumed for the third consecutive day on Thursday after John Isner finally claimed the final set with the set lasting for 8 hours and 11 minutes.
John Isner defeated Nicolas Mahut in a historic match after playing 183 games with the scoreline reading 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7–9), 7–6(7–3), 70–68. The final set between the two giants alone was longer than the previous longest match. With the introduction of the final set tiebreaker at the Championships, the Isner-Mahut match will remain the longest match in Wimbledon tournament history in terms of games played, provided this rule remains the same.
