Wimbledon Top 10: Youngest Champions - The Championships, Wimbledon 2017 - Official Site by IBM Wimbledon Top 10: Youngest Champions By Mark Hodgkinson Does it seem as if players are getting younger? Wimbledon.com looks at the top 10 youngest champions. 1. Boris Becker was 17 years old when he won the 1985 Championships, becoming the youngest ever winner of the gentlemen's singles title. "What I remember most from winning Wimbledon at 17 was that people suddenly looked at me differently – they thought I was from planet Mars. They thought I had done something I wasn't supposed to do, something that shouldn't have been possible. But I did it. And then I did it at 18, just to make the point." 2. Before Becker, the youngest men's champion was Wilfred Baddeley, who was 19 when he won the title in 1881 (the Englishman won a couple more titles, in 1892 and 1895). 3.

Martina Hingis was just 13 years old when she won the junior Wimbledon title at the 1994 Championships, so becoming the youngest champion of that competition (her first Grand Slam victory had come the season before when, at the age of 12, she won the junior French Open to become the youngest player to ever win a junior Grand Slam title). 4. Dennis Ralston, an American, is the youngest ever men's doubles champion – he was 17 when he won in 1960, alongside Mexico's Rafael Osuna. In 1966, he would reach a Wimbledon singles final, losing to Manuel Santana. 5. Lottie Dod, who was known as 'The Little Wonder', and who dressed in a long white dress and black woolen stockings, was 15 years and 285 days old when she won the ladies' singles title in 1887. She remains the youngest ladies’ singles champion. 6. Martina Hingis is the youngest ever women's doubles champion – she was 15 years and 282 days old when she won in 1996, with Helena Sukova as her partner.

She is also the youngest winner of any senior title at the All England Club – Lottie Dod was three days older when she won the ladies' singles title in 1887. 7. Martina Hingis is the youngest women's singles champion of the modern era, winning the 1997 title when she was just 16. As the New York Times observed on the day that the Little Swiss Miss beat Jana Novotna: "With the smile of a cheerleader and the appetite of a shark, Hingis is the epitome of a new wave of tennis teenagers with no qualms about preying on the older generation". 8. Australia’s Rod Laver is the youngest ever man to win the mixed doubles title – he was 20 in 1959. He played with American Darlene Hard. 9. Serena Williams was 16 when she won the 1998 mixed tournament, making her the youngest ever woman to hold the title. Her partner, Max Mirnyi, had apparently been too shy to approach her himself, so it had been his father who had set up the partnership. 10.

When a 20-year-old Bjorn Borg won the 1976 Wimbledon Championships, he became the youngest men's champion of the 20th century (but he didn't hold that record for long, as it was just nine years later that Boris Becker won the tournament at the age of just 17). Follow the latest news and scores from Wimbledon 2013 on Wimbledon.com or download the official iPad, iPhone and Android apps The Championships, Wimbledon: winners, fun facts, and record holders by Mike Morrison 2008 Wimbledon Women's Singles Champion Venus Williams (Source/AP) So you think you know Wimbledon ? Tennis's most prestigious grand slam event gets underway on June 27, 2015, and finishes up on July 10. You probably already know that it is the only grand slam event played on grass, and that last year's singles champions were Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Czech Republic's Petra Kvitovà. Below is some history, as well as some little-known facts about the tourney. If you're feeling especially adventurous, try your luck at Infoplease's Wimbledon Quiz . The first Wimbledon took place in 1877 solely as an amateur competition.

Men's singles was the only event that took place. There were 22 competitors and the championship was won by Spencer Gore. A few hundred spectators were in attendance. Women's singles and men's doubles events began seven years later, in 1884. May Sutton of the United States became the first non-European champion in 1905 when she captured the women's singles title. Charlotte (Lottie) Dod became the youngest player ever to win a Wimbledon singles event when, in 1887, she won at the age of 15 years, 285 days. In 1996 Martina Hingis became a Wimbledon doubles champion at 15 years, 282 days. And by the way, Dod was also a silver medalist in archery at the 1908 Olympics, a member of the British national field hockey team in 1899, and the British Amateur golf champ in 1904. During World War II , a bomb ripped through Centre Court at the All England Club and 1,200 seats were lost. Fortunately, they weren't filled at the time.

Play finally resumed in 1946 but it wasn't until 1949 that the area was back in top shape. American Althea Gibson became the first black player to win a Wimbledon singles championship when she captured the title in 1957. She successfully defended her title a year later. She was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in both years. In 1985, Boris Becker accomplished three feats: he became the youngest male singles champ (17 years, 227 days old), the first German champ, and the first unseeded champ. There are currently 20 grass courts available for play at the Wimbledon complex. The Number 1 Court now comes complete with large fans at either end to dry out the court in case of rain. There are also five red shale courts, four clay courts, and five indoor courts for club members. The last married woman to win the women's singles championship was Chris Evert Lloyd in 1981. A wooden racket was last used at Wimbledon in 1987.

The 2014 prize purse for the men's and women's singles winners is £1,760,000, an increase of £160,000 (10%) over 2013. In 1968, the year of the first "open" championships, the prize money was £2,000 for the male champion and £750 for the female champion. Aside from cash, the women's champ also receives a silver gilt salver (a round, disk-like platter) that was made in 1864. The men's winner receives a silver gilt cup from 1887. Both are actually displayed at the Wimbledon museum for most of the year. Keep your eyes on the ball! The records for fastest serve are Taylor Dent, clocked at 148 mph (2010) and Venus Williams with 129 mph (2008) Keeping track of all those fast-moving balls are approximately 250 ball boys and girls at The Championships each year. The top-selling item in the Wimbledon gift shop in 2010: 18,000 yellow mini tennis ball keyrings.

in 2013, it was Championship towels (28,600). In 2013, the top-selling drink was tea/coffee, with 300,000 sold. britishtennis.com - The British Tennis Website History of Tennis Lets take a step back in time. Below we have identified key moments in tennis history. Cream boxes containing the General heading represent general tennis history facts, while green boxes containing the Wimbledon heading represent specific moments in Wimbledon history. All facts are listed in chronological order (if read as newspaper columns) for your convenience. Enjoy! 12th Century General: Origins trace back to French game called "Paume" ("Palm"), where players hit a small ball over a net by hand. 16th Century General: The racket was actually invented in Italy in 1583. General: Paume evolved into "Jeu de Paume" ("Game of Palm") and a racket was used instead of a hand. 1873 General: Major Walter Wingfield invented the game called "Sphairistik�" (Greek for "playing ball") and first introduced it to Wales (UK).

Played on hour-glass shaped courts on Manor House lawns by wealthy English people. This is truly where modern tennis evolved. General: The game soon became known as "tennis", thought to come from the French word "tenir" ("hold this"), "tendere" ("to hold"), or "tenez" ("to take"). The precise origins are unknown. 1875 Wimbledon: Henry Cavendish Jones convinced the All England Croquet Club to replace a croquet court with a lawn tennis court. Marylebone Cricket Club followed suit. Wimbledon: Marylebone Cricket Club made significant changes to the game. They added Deuce , Advantage , and 2 chances per serve. The hourglass-shaped court also changed to a rectangular court, identical to the measurements we use today! 1877 Wimbledon: The very first World Tennis Championship was held in 1877 at Worple Road in Wimbledon (United Kingdom), the true home of tennis! The sponsors were the All England Croquet Club. Only 22 players entered the Mens Singles, which was the only event. Spectators paid a mere one shilling to watch the final.

The winner of this mens event was Spencer Gore, who aparently speculated that it would not catch on because it was too boring! 1880 Wimbledon: The Overhead Smash was introduced into the game by the Renshaw brothers. They would dominate Wimbledon for a decade, winning all but 1880 and 1887 championships between them. 1881 General: The United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA) is founded, and the first U.S. Championships are played. 1884 Wimbledon: The Wimbledon Championships are open to women for the first time. There are only 13 participants. Mens doubles was also introduced for the first time. 1887 General: The U.S. Championships are open to women for the first time. 1887 Wimbledon: Lottie Dod of England wins the Wimbledon Ladies Singles title for the first of 5 times between 1887 and 1893. She is the youngest player to win a singles event at the age of only 15 years and 285 days.

1888 General: Our very own Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is founded in order to maintain the new rules and standards of tennis. 1891 General: The first French Championships are played. However, they rule these Championships are only open to French residents - trust the French! 1897 General: The French Championships are open to women for the first time. 1899 Wimbledon: The All England Croquet Club changed it's name to the All England Tennis & Croquet Club. 1900 General: The first Davis Cup Tournament is held. 1905 General: The first Australasian Championships are played. Only twice between 1905 and 1925 were the Championships held outside Australia (in New Zealand). 1905 Wimbledon: May Sutton won the Ladies Singles at Wimbledon, and was the first international tennis player to win at Wimbledon. Wimbledon: The Doherty brothers (Laurie and Reggie) won the Wimbledon Mens Doubles title for a record eigth time. Ironically, they were both born in Wimbledon! 1907 Wimbledon: Norman Brookes of Australia became the first international Wimbledon Mens Singles champion.

1908 Wimbledon: Mrs Charlotte Sterry of Great Britain became the oldest Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion at the age of 37 years and 282 days. 1909 Wimbledon: Arthur Gore of Great Britain became the oldest Wimbledon Mens Singles champion at the age of 41 years and 182 days. 1912 General: The International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) is born with an aim of operating the 4 major tennis Championships (Wimbledon, U.S., Australasian, and French). 1920 Wimbledon: Suzanne Lenglen of France became the first player to win the triple crown of Ladies Singles, Ladies Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Wimbledon: Building works for a new Wimbledon Championships tournament to be located on Church Street had started. The total cost of this development would cost �140,000ukp 1922 General: The Australasian Championships are open to women for the first time. 1922 Wimbledon: The new Wimbledon Championships located on Church Street was open for business. Prince Albert and the Prince of Wales were at the grand opening. The new arena had a capacity 14,000.

1925 General: Finally the pathetic "French residents only" rule is dropped by the French Championships! As the Australasian Championships were predominantly held in Australia anyway, they became the Australian Championships and would only be hosted in Australia. 1927 Wimbledon: The idea of seeding players was introduced for the first time. 1928 General: The Stade Roland Garros hosts the French Championships for the first time. 1930 General: One-piece Ash wood tennis rackets are replaced by laminated wood. 1934 Wimbledon: Fred Perry and Miss Dorothy Round won both the Wimbledon Mens and Ladies Singles titles. It has so far proven to be the last British double. 1936 Wimbledon: Fred Perry of Great Britain became Wimbledon Mens Singles champion for the third successive year. This is the last time a British player has won the Wimbledon Mens Singles title. 1938 General: The first tennis player to complete the Grand Slam of all 4 Championships in the same year was the American Don Budge. 1940 Wimbledon: From 1940 to 1945 World War II put a hold on the Wimbledon and French Championships.

It was in October 1940 that a Centre Court was hit by a bomb. Fortunately no lives were lost, but we did lose 1200 seats. 1941 General: From 1941 to 1945 the Australian Championships are put on hold. 1946 Wimbledon: Wimbledon and French Championships are open for business once again! 1949 Wimbledon: Fashion designer Ted Tinling created a dress for the American Gertrude "Gussy" Moran that would shock Wimbledon. Her lace-trimmed knickers were front-page news worldwide, and were even the subject of debate in Parliament! 1950 General: The Pro Tour created by Jack Kramer kicks off and becomes extremely popular with both amateur tennis players and the public. 1953 The first woman to complete the Grand Slam of all 4 Championships was Maureen Connelly. 1962 Wimbledon: The Australian Rod Laver wins the Wimbledon Mens Singles title on his way to securing his first of two Grand Slam titles! 1967 General: The first metal tennis racket appears thanks to Wilson! 1967 Wimbledon: Wimbledon was shown on colour television for the first time thanks to the BBC.

1968 General: The "Open Era" of tennis begins. From now on all tennis players regardless of professional or amateur status will compete in the same tennis tournaments. 1969 General: Having completed his first Grand Slam in 1962 Rod Laver collects his second in 1969. He is the only tennis player in history to have achieved two Grand Slams. 1970 General: Jack Kramer introduces a points system for tennis tournaments. Players earn points depending on how far they go in tournaments and at the end of the season prize money is distributed to those who have accumulatedthe most points. 1970 General: The Tie-break was invented by Jimmy van Allen in the late 1960s, and was then introduced at the US Open following a successful trial period at Newport, R.I. The winner of the tie-break was the first person to reach five points. 1971 Wimbledon: The Tie-break was introduced at Wimbledon, and came into effect if the score in games reached 8-8 in any set except the final set. 1972 General: The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is formed by professional tennis players, and Jack Kramer is chosen as Executive Director.

1973 Wimbledon: Wimbledon is boycotted by the ATP following the suspension of Yugoslav Nikki Pilic. 1975 Wimbledon: The first time players were allowed chairs on court to allow them to rest during a change of ends. 1976 General: The first graphite and fiberglass tennis rackets appear on the scene thanks to Howard Head of Prince. Wimbledon: The Swedish player Bj�rn Borg won his 1st singles title. 1977 Wimbledon: Virginia Wade was the last British tennis player to win Wimbledon when she won the Ladies Singles title. Wimbledon: The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum opened. 1979 Wimbledon: Billie Jean King won the Wimbledon Ladies Doubles title, which totalled a record 20 titles in all (6 Ladies Singles, 10 Ladies Doubles, and 4 Mixed Doubles). Wimbledon: The Tie-break rule was to come into play at a score in games of 6-6 (instead of 8-8), with the exception of final sets.

1980 Wimbledon: The longest Tie-break at Wimbledon was in the 1980 Mens Singles Final between John McEnroe (USA) and Bj�rn Borg (Sweden), with a score of 18-16 in favour of Bj�rn Borg. Wimbledon: The mighty Swede Bj�rn Borg secures his 5th consecutive Wimbledon Mens Singles title. Wimbledon: Tennis was played at Wimbledon on Sunday for the first time. 1985 Wimbledon: Boris Becker of Germany was the youngest ever and first unseeded Wimbledon Mens Singles champion at the age of only 17 years and 227 days. 1990 Wimbledon: Martina Navratilova became the Wimbledon Ladies Singles champion for a record ninth time. 1994 General: Martina Navratilova retires from singles tennis, having won a record 167 singles titles, a record 1438 matches won, and an amazing 9 Wimbledon titles! Wimbledon: Tim Henman was disqualified during a Wimbledon Mens Doubles match after hitting a ball in anger and striking a ball girl (accidentally of course).

1996 Wimbledon: Martina Hingis of Switzerland was the youngest ever Wimbledon champion when she won the Ladies Doubles in 1996 at the age of only 15 years and 282 days. 2001 Wimbledon: Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia became the first Wimbledon Wildcard in history to win the Mens Singles title. 2002 General: Venus and Serena Williams become the first sisters in history to be ranked #1 and #2 in the WTA world rankings list respectively. 2003 General: Pete Sampras retires from tennis at a US Open farewell ceremony. He won 64 singles titles (4th highest ever) including a record 14 Grand Slam titles - 2 Australian Open, 5 US Open and 7 Wimbledon. 2004 General: Roger Federer becomes the first man since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three of the four grand slam events (Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) in a calendar year. He also captured an ATP-best 11 titles in as many finals, including the end-of-season Masters Cup.

And also set an Open Era record by winning 13 consecutive finals (dating back to 2003), surpassing Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe who won 12 straight finals. 2005 General: Roger Federer's 25-match winning streak (the longest in men's tennis since 1984) ended at the hands of 18-year-old Richard Gasquet in Monte Carlo. 2006 General: The greatest showman in tennis history - Andre Agassi - retires on 3 September 2006 following a 7-5 6-7(4) 6-4 7-5 defeat to Benjamin Becker (GER) in the third round of the US Open. 2007 General: Roger Federer becomes the first athlete to be named Sportsman of the Year at the Laureus World Sports Awards for the third time. Roger said: "It is a great honour for me to recieve this award for the third straight year." 2007 General: Roger Federer become the first Swiss national alive to be honoured through a stamp issue.

The one Swiss franc stamp (�0.4; $0.8) shows Federer holding the Wimbledon trophy. Roger said: "It's a great moment. I'm proud to be a symbol like the army knife or the mountains." 2007 General: On the 19 May, Raphael Nadal claims 81 straight wins on clay to set a new all surface record. His run was ended by Roger Federer in the Hamburg Masters final the following day. 2007 General: On the 9 September, Roger Federer became the first man since Bill Tilden in the 1920s to win four US Open titles in a row, beating Novak Djokovic 7-6(4) 7-6(2) 6-4 in the final. 2008 General: Roger Federer became the longest serving consecutive World No.1 with 237 days. His reign lasted from 2 February 2004 until 17 August 2008 when he was succeeded by Rafael Nadal.

2008 General: On 21 October, Laura Robson became the youngest British tennis player in history on the main tour at age 14. Her debut was against 25-year-old world number 42 Iveta Benesova at the Fortis Championships in Luxembourg - wildcard. Despite taking the opening set, Laura was defeated 1-6 6-2 6-3. 2009 General: On 20 April, Marat Safin and Dinara Safina became the first brother and sister to reach world number one. Marat became achieved the top ranking on 20 November 2000. 2009 General: On 7 June, Roger Federer became arguably the greatest tennis player of all time with his victory at the French Open. Federer joins Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson and Andre Agassi as winner of all four Grand Slam titles, and equals the 14 Grand Slam titles claimed by Pete Sampras - who never managed to win on the clay of Roland Garros. 2010 Wimbledon: There were no English men in the Wimbledon singles draw for the first time in its 133-year history.

Representing Great Britain were only 2 Scots Andy Murray and Jamie Baker (wildcard). 2011 General:30 January, Andy Murray makes tennis history, by becoming the first player never to win a set in 3 Grand Slam finals. - Lost 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to Novak Djokovic, Australian Open 2011 - Lost 6�3, 6�4, 7�6(11) to Roger Federer, Australian Open 2010 - Lost 6�2, 7�5, 6�2 to Roger Federer, US Open 2008 2012 Wimbledon/Olympics: On 3 August the longest singles match in Olympic history was held at Wimbledon during London 2012. Roger Federer defeated Juan Martin Del Potro 3-6 7-6(5) 19-17 in 4hrs 26mins.

2014 General: 21 March, Jarkko Nieminen of Finland secured the fastest ATP Tour win record by beating the Australian Bernard Tomic 6-0 6-1 in 28 minutes and 20 seconds at the Sony Open. The record was previously held by Briton Greg Rusedski who defeated the German Carsten Arriens in 29 minutes at the Sydney International in 1996. Here’s how Canada’s Milos Raonic and Andy Murray match up in historic men’s final at Wimbledon | National Post Here’s how Canada’s Milos Raonic and Andy Murray match up in historic men’s final at Wimbledon StumbleUpon WIMBLEDON, England — Milos Raonic will be looking to make Canadian tennis history when he faces Great Britain’s Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final Sunday morning. No Canadian has ever won a Grand Slam singles championship. The only Canadian to ever advance to a Grand Slam singles final before Raonic was Eugenie Bouchard, who lost the 2014 Wimbledon women’s final 6-3, 6-2 to the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova.

Here’s a breakdown of Sunday’s men’s final: MILOS RAONIC Coaches: Riccardo Piatti, Carlos Moya, John McEnroe ATP ranking: 7 Career Grand Slam record: 57-21 Best career Grand Slam result: Wimbledon finalist 2016 Career record on grass: 28-14 2016 record: 37-8 Career titles: 8 Career prize money: US$10,710,488 Strengths: Raonic’s serve will always be his biggest strength. In his first six matches here, the big Canadian has 154 aces and has hit a top speed of 144 mph. By comparison, Murray has 52 aces and a top speed of 134 mph. Raonic has only lost five of his 121 service games en route to the final, while Murray is 85-8 while serving. Weaknesses: Raonic has never won a grass-court tournament, but that’s why he hired McEnroe, a three-time champion here.

McEnroe’s coaching has already paid off with a 10-1 record this year on grass for Raonic, including a five-set victory over Roger Federer in the semifinals. But it did take five sets and could take a physical toll on the big Canadian, while Murray won his semifinal against Tomas Berdych in three easy sets. Raonic’s one loss on grass this year was to Murray. Experience factor: Raonic is four years younger than Murray and is looking to become the youngest man to win Wimbledon since Novak Djokovic did it in 2011 at age 24. With a win, Raonic would also become the youngest man to win any Grand Slam title since Djokovic won the 2012 Australian Open before his 25th birthday. Raonic has eight career titles, but none of them have come on grass. The last man to win a Grand Slam title in his first final appearance was Marin Cilic at the 2014 U.S. Open. He said it: “I have a great opportunity on Sunday. That’s what I’m definitely going to be looking forward to it.

There was a significant point for me coming back from two sets to love in the fourth round. Both Carlos and John (two of his coaches) took me aside and said: ‘This can change your career at this point.’ So hopefully it continues that way.” ANDY MURRAY Career Grand Slam record: 171-39 Best career Grand Slam result: 2 titles (U.S. Open 2012, Wimbledon 2013) Career record on grass: 101-17 2016 record: 39-6 Career titles: 37 Career prize money: US$46,740,897 Strengths: Murray’s game is made for Wimbledon and he is at home on grass, as his 101-17 lifetime record on the surface shows. But Murray’s all-around game is the reason why he’s the No. 2 ranked player in the world behind Djokovic. While his serve isn’t as fast as Raonic’s, Murray has only six double faults during the tournament. Raonic has 28.

Weaknesses: The home-court advantage can help, but it can also bring a lot of pressure — especially if things start going badly. The only two men to lose more Grand Slam finals in the Open Era than Murray are Ivan Lendl (11) and Federer (10). Murray has already been broken eight times during the tournament — and he hasn’t faced Raonic’s bullets yet. Experience factor: Murray is making his 11th appearance in a Grand Slam final, although his record in the previous 10 matches is 2-8. He won the championship on Centre Court here in 2013, so he knows what it takes. This will mark the first time Murray has faced someone other than Federer or Djokovic in a Grand Slam final. He said it: “Wimbledon for a lot of the players, but for British players growing up, this is the biggest competition. To get to play in front of a home crowd in a Grand Slam final is very, very rare. There’s not many players that get the opportunity to do that.

Yeah, this one always feels a little bit more special.” THE ODDS Tennisabstract.com has the odds of Murray winning the championship listed at 67.7 per cent. That’s big. PREDICTION The odds are definitely against Raonic, who is looking to become the first No. 6 seed to win at Wimbledon since Michael Stich beat Boris Becker in 1991. That’s also the only time in the Open Era that a No. 6 seed has beaten the No. 2 seed in a Grand Slam final. The last time a No. 6 seed won a Grand Slam title was Juan Martin del Potro at the 2009 U.S. Open, when he beat Federer. Murray is also on a five-match winning streak against Raonic, including a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-3 win in the Queen’s Club final last month on grass. Murray also beat Raonic in the semifinals of this year’s Australian Open, winning in five sets. Raonic seems to be a man on a mission to win Wimbledon, but probably comes up just short in five sets against Murray. But as a proud Canadian, I really hope I’m wrong.

Wimbledon Mens Players | Mens Singles Champions | Andy Murray | Roger Federer Mens Players Wimbledon Mens Singles We take a look at the mens singles competition, providing background and chances of the players for the 2011 tournament at the All England Club. Many Tennis fans would argue that Wimbledon is the toughest of the four majors to win as it is the only one played on a grass surface. The winner must therefore be versatile in handling the different challenges that playing on grass poses. Please check here for details of the 2010 Wimbledon mens seedings . The 2011 Men’s singles at Wimbledon promises yet again to be as exciting as ever with Roger Federer favourite in the Wimbledon mens singles betting to win the crown once again afre beating Andy Roddick last year. Nadal’s victory in 2008 prevented Federer from becoming the first man in Wimbledon history to record six straight wins, he will be back at SW19 for the first time since and desperate to regain his crown. In some media circles Federer was being written off last year, but he came back to the top when he won the US Open Tennis for the fifth straight year, defeating Britain's Andy Murray in the final.

He then lost to Nadal in the Australian Open final in another five set epic, before achieving his greatest moment in tennis, when he won the French Open title for the first time. That win gave him a record equalling fourteen Grand Slams a record he shares with, Sampras and he also became the first man since Andre Agassi to win all four Grand Slam titles. We think that Federer should win once more this year but the following players all have chances Robin Soderling Fred Perry - The last British Mens Single Champion Fred Perry was the last British mens single champion at Wimbledon when he won the title for the third and final time in 1936. Perry, had won the previous two mens singles titles at the 1934 and 1935 Championship and despite being some years ago reports suggest that he was one of the greatest ever Wimbledon champions. Can Scot, Andy Murray emulate the great man this year? Murray has been in outstanding form this year and won the the title at Queens Club last week. He has shot up to number three in the world rankings and is third favourite to win in the mens singles betting. He reached the quarter finals last year where he was beaten by Rafa Nadal.

Tim Henman remains the only British player to get to the semi finals in recent years, he achieved this four times in total. Modern Era Mens Wimbledon Champions In recent years, some of the biggest names in mens Tennis have lifted the famous Mens Singles trophy. Four times champion Rod Laver was the first male to claim the title in the open era in 1968 and 1969. Fellow Australian John Newcombe won back to back championships in 1970 and 1971 before Bjorn Borg won four consecutive titles between 1976 - 79. During the 80s, the Wimbledon mens singles title was won by great names such as John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg, all who won the title on more than one occasion during the decade. American great Pete Sampras dominated the title in the 90s winning the mens singles crown a total of seven times between 1993 and 2000, only Richard Krajicek stopped him from winning a Wimbledon record eight straight titles.

In recent years, the mens singles game has been all about Roger Federer who has won the last four Wimbledon mens singles championships and the Swiss star shows no signs of slowing down his dominance of the mens game. Past Wimbledon Mens Singles Winners 1980 B. Borg (Sweeden) BBC - Press Office - Wimbledon press pack: biographies for TV team Presenters Sue Barker Former World No.3 tennis player, French Open champion and Wimbledon semi-finalist, Sue started work as a sports broadcaster with Australia's Channel 7 in 1985. She then joined BSB in 1990 and later moved to Sky Sports. She made her BBC Sport TV debut co-presenting the evening highlights programme from Wimbledon 93 with Harry Carpenter. Since then she has gained a wealth of experience presenting world class competitions, including coverage of other major tennis tournaments, Summer and Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, the Grand National, the Derby and World and European Skating Championships. In addition, Sue has also hosted Grandstand and Sunday Grandstand and has worked on the BBC TV documentary Chalk Flew Up – a history of Wimbledon's Court No.1 which made its final appearance during Wimbledon 95.

Her credits also include hosting Sports Personality Of The Year and A Question Of Sport. Among her many accolades are the 1998 TRIC award for Sports Presenter/Reporter of the Year and the 2001 RTS sports presenter award. John Inverdale John began his broadcasting career with BBC Radio Lincolnshire in 1982. He joined BBC Radio Sport in 1985, working for Radio 4's Today programme and on Radio 2 sports output before joining Radio 5 in 1988 as presenter of its flagship sports programme, Sport On 5. During the Championships, John presents BBC television's daily highlights programme Today At Wimbledon. John is also BBC Sport's rugby presenter and was part of the team covering the Beijing Olympics. He has also presented BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage of many major sports events including the Wimbledon Championships, Olympic Games and World Cups (football and rugby). Commentators Tracy Austin Tracy Austin received her first tennis lesson at age two and appeared on the cover of World Tennis at four. After winning 25 national titles as a junior, Austin launched her professional career by winning the first tournament she entered (Filderstadt, Germany, 1978) as a pro.

Triumphs over Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova produced two US Open crowns for Austin. In 1978, she broke Navratilova's 37-match winning streak and, in the 1979 Italian Open, she broke Evert's 125-match clay court winning streak. Her incredibly consistent record earned her celebrity status and worldwide recognition. She became the youngest person to become No.1 in the world in 1980 at age 17. Tracy represented the USA on winning Federation Cup and Wightman Cup team. When forced to the sidelines in the mid-Eighties, she translated her on-court experience into a successful broadcasting career. Boris Becker Wimbledon crowd favourite Boris Becker joined the BBC Sport commentary team for the 2002 Championships. Born in 1967 in Leimen, Germany, Boris became the youngest man to win Wimbledon at 17 years 7 months when he defeated Kevin Curren in 1985. Over his career he won 49 ATP singles titles including six Grand Slam titles and became World No.1 for the first time after victory at the Australian Open in 1991.

Andrew Castle A former British No.1 singles and doubles tennis champion, Andrew became a professional tennis player in 1986 after completing a marketing degree in America. He was a member of the UK's Olympic teams in Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992, and also part of the British teams for the Davis and European Cups. Andrew Castle is a regular presenter on GMTV. Mark Cox Mark's finest hour as a player was as a member of the Great Britain team which reached the final of the 1978 Davis Cup against the USA. In the semi-final against Australia, he partnered David Lloyd to victory in the deciding doubles rubber. Mark won 10 singles tournaments between 1970 and 1977, was twice a quarter-finalist in the Australian Open, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open in 1966, and was runner-up at Queen's in 1977. Barry Davies One of the most versatile commentators of his time, Barry joined BBC Radio in 1963 after leaving the Army.

He was part of ITV's commentary team for the 1966 World Cup Finals and reported for ITV on the 1968 Olympics. Barry rejoined the BBC in 1969 and has worked on a succession of football World Cups, Summer and Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games, plus numerous Wimbledon Championships and Boat Races. Barry has also commentated on ice skating, ice hockey and badminton. Peter Fleming Peter teamed up with John McEnroe to form the most formidable doubles partnership in the men's game during the Eighties. The pair won the Wimbledon men's doubles title in 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1984 and took the US Open doubles crown in 1979, 1981 and 1983. In total, Fleming and McEnroe took 57 doubles titles. Tim Henman Tim Henman brings his experience of reaching four semi-finals and three quarter-finals at Wimbledon to the BBC's commentary team this year, following his retirement from professional tennis.

Tim was the number one ranked tennis player in Great Britain, was ranked number 4 in the world in 2002 and won 11 career titles. A member of the British Davis Cup team since 1994, Tim was awarded an OBE in 2004. He founded his own charity, Kids at Heart in 2000. His interests include all sports, and golf in particular, now playing off a handicap of four. John Lloyd In reaching the final of the 1977 Australian Open, John Lloyd became the first Englishman to reach a singles final of a Grand Slam in the Open Era. In the following year he achieved his highest ranking when he finished at No.21. That year, John led an inspired British team to its most recent Davis Cup final where they were defeated by the US. During his career he compiled three Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles, all with partner Wendy Turnbull, including back-to-back victories at Wimbledon in 1983 and 1984. He now continues to provide the mix of class and competitive fire that has made him one of the most popular players on the senior circuit.

John McEnroe A winner of 77 singles titles and 78 doubles, John first made Grand Slam headlines in 1977 while still in his teens by capturing the French Open mixed doubles title and reaching the singles semi-finals at Wimbledon. He asserted his mastery on the professional circuit soon after, with three successive US Open Championships, in 1979, 1980 and 1981. He ended Bjorn Borg's five-year reign at Wimbledon with a commanding victory in 1981 that promoted him to the men's top-ranked player (and the youngest to achieve it), a position he held for four years. He took another Wimbledon title in 1983, but John McEnroe's most memorable year was 1984 when he won both Wimbledon and US Open titles. In addition to his singles achievements, John dominated the field as a doubles player. With longtime partner Peter Fleming, John earned four Wimbledon titles and three US Open titles as well as seven Masters titles, which they won consecutively from 1978-1984.

John represented the United States 12 times in Davis Cup competition, achieving five championship team wins and establishing the record for the most US Davis Cup wins (39 singles and 15 doubles). More recently, John was a doubles winner of the SAP Open in San Jose ATP Tournament in February 2006 at 47 years of age. David Mercer Swansea-born David entered sports broadcasting as a freelance via BBC Wales in 1979 and joined BBC Radio Sport in London on a full-time basis in 1984. He joined the BBC Television commentary team in 1992. Tennis has been his main sport since then, but he has also commentated and reported on football, rugby union, rowing, skiing, skating, badminton, snooker, squash, ice hockey and American football. David, a former solicitor, was Welsh Junior Doubles champion in 1968, captained the tennis team at Nottingham University in 1969 and umpired the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final in 1984. Greg Rusedski Greg Rusedski was born in Canada and began representing Great Britain in May 1995.

He was recognised as the number 4 seed in the world and at one point had the fastest serve in the world, recorded at 149 mph. He won the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1997 and the following year won the biggest tournament of his career at the ATP Masters Series in Paris, defeating the world number one Pete Sampras in what he calls the greatest match he ever played. Since retiring from tennis professionally in 2007, Greg has become a television and radio sports commentator and presenter. Simon Reed Simon's career began with BBC Radio in the late Sixties when he worked for BBC Radio Sport, BBC World Service and BBC Radio London. From 1973, he was a presenter and reporter for Thames TV. Simon's career as a tennis commentator began with Channel 4 in 1984, and he also freelanced for Sky and Eurosport. In 1995, he became Head of Commentators for Eurosport specialising in tennis. In 2002, Simon commentated for BBC TV at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He has commentated on the last seven Wimbledon Championships for BBC TV.

Sam Smith Sam was National Champion in 1997 and British No. 1 from 1996-99. She reached her highest world ranking – 55 – in February 1999 and represented Great Britain in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, as well as the Federation Cup and European Team Championships. Sam now works as a freelance tennis commentator and columnist. Virginia Wade Virginia Wade's 1977 victory over Betty Stove to win the Wimbledon Ladies' Singles Final, during the Queen's Silver Jubilee, remains one of the tournament's most memorable triumphs. Notably, Virginia is currently the last Briton to have won Wimbledon. Born in Bournemouth in July 1945, her career also included winning the US Open in 1968, the Australian and Italian Opens in 1972, and four Grand Slam doubles titles. Awarded the OBE in 1986, Virginia has worked as a tennis commentator for the BBC since 1981.

Question: Who was the youngest player (as at 2009) to win the Wimbledon Men's Singles Final?
Answer: Boris Becker