History - 1990s - The Championships, Wimbledon 2017 - Official Site by IBM READ MORE 1990: A record for Navratilova On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Martina Navratilova produced a near-flawless performance to win her ninth Wimbledon singles title, a record that will take some topping in today's day and age. Competing against fellow American Zina Garrison, Navratilova served and volleyed her way around Centre Court in emphatic fashion, dropping just five games as she took the title 6-1, 6-4. The 33-year-old Navratilova won six consecutive championships from 1982 to 1987 but was made to wait before surpassing Helen Wills Moody's record of eight titles, losing the previous two years in the final to Steffi Graf. But, with Graf disposed of by Garrison in the semi-finals, Navratilova got there eventually, straddling the net to acknowledge her beaten opponent and then, her courtside courtesies complete, sinking down on her knees for an instant of silent communion with the tennis court she loves best.

"There were no glitches this time; everything came up nines," she said. "This tops it all, absolutely, because I've worked so hard." 1990: Boris Becker v Stefan Edberg The most defining aspect of the rivalry between Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg was the three successive Wimbledon finals they contested between 1988 and 1990. Having split the titles in '88 and '89, their 1990 encounter was undoubtedly the most riveting. Edberg, who had been routed by Boris the year before, swept ahead, crunching through the first two sets 6-2, 6-2. But, as was his wont, Becker rallied in typical fashion to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-3, and send the match into a fifth. Becker broke Edberg early in the fifth set, on course for a fourth Wimbledon title, and setting up the possibility of being the first Wimbledon champion to win the last three sets in a five-set match since Henri Cochetin 1927. But, it was not to be.

Edberg regained the break and then broke Becker in the ninth game of the set with a topspin lob winner, eventually serving it out for his second Wimbledon title. The Swede went on to win the US Open in 1991 and 1992. 1991: Steffi Graf v Gabriela Sabatini One of SW19's greatest champions arrived at Wimbledon in 1991 having suffered rather a seesaw period, registering one of the worst defeats of her career against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the French Open semi-finals, losing her first 6-0 set since 1984. But, as is so often the case, the green grass of the All England Club gave the formerly indomitable German a boost, powering her way to the final. Coming up against friend and rival Gabriela Sabatini, the odds on form were in the Argentine's favour, having beaten Graf in four tournaments in the spring.

But Graf was always capable of something special at Wimbledon, and so it proved, the German rallying back from dropping the second set, and holding her nerve to win an epic Centre Court final 6-4 3-6 8-6, the longest final for 15 years. 1991: Middle Sunday One of the wettest first weeks in the tournament's history - just 52 out of about 240 matches were completed by Thursday evening - prompted the decision to stage play on the traditional day off, the Middle Sunday. Gabriela Sabatini and Andrea Strnadova emerged from their dressing room on to Centre Court for their third-round noon showdown. They were greeted by a packed stadium, a seemingly unending roar and enough Mexican waves to fill an ocean. The spectators had raced from the gates for prime, £10-a-head unreserved seats. They had formed part of a queue snaking almost two miles that produced an attendance of 24,894.

On No.1 Court, John McEnroe, a three-time champion, did not disappoint his adoring fans with a victory against Frenchman Jean-Philippe Fleurian, while victories for eventual Swedish semi-finalist Stefan Edberg and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario warmed up the effervescent crowd on the main court for the top of the bill: Jimmy Connors. Despite thriving on the atmosphere, Connors was eventually upstaged by fellow American Derrick Rostango, but the atmosphere overtook the results that day. 1992: Andre Agassi v Goran Ivanisevic They said that he couldn't win Wimbledon, and certainly not by playing resolutely pinned to the baseline. But Andre Agassi wasn't having that. Defeating Goran Ivanisevic 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 for the Wimbledon title, the Las Vegan erased the stigma of his previous Grand Slam failures, becoming the first back-of-the-court player to win the title since Bjorn Borg, and the first American to win Wimbledon since John McEnroe in 1984.

Illustrating that thundering groundstrokes can be just as important as booming serves, the flamboyant American stood firm throughout a Wimbledon final record onslaught of 37 aces from the 6’4” Croatian, waiting for his chances, and eventually breaking Ivanisevic three times in the match. One of the remarkable statistics was the fact that Ivanisevic came to the net 91 times, not uncommon on grass, but was passed by Agassi an astounding 26 times. "So many things were going through my mind - Wimbledon champion, Grand Slam winner, a lot of months and years of people doubting me," he said. 1992: John McEnroe v Michael Stich John McEnroe collected his fifth Wimbledon men's doubles title as he and Michael Stich beat Americans Jim Grabb and Richie Reneberg 5-7, 7-6(5), 3-6, 7-6(5), 19-17 in a record-breaking final.

McEnroe had been dumped out of the singles by the sprightly Andre Agassi in the semi-finals, and so his and Stich's performance, in the longest men's doubles final since the 1968 Roche and Newcombe victory over Rosewall and Stolle, certainly made amends. Held over from Saturday because of fading light, the match was moved to Court 1 on the final Sunday, the All England Club allowing 7,500 fans into the Grounds for free. After 34 games in the final set had gone with serve, McEnroe produced a stunningly disguised lob to bring up match point, followed by Reneberg dumping Super Brat's serve into the net. Stich grabbing McEnroe around the waist and lifting him into the air, the unseeded pair triumphed after five hours and one minute.

1993: The Long Term Plan In March 1993, The All England Lawn Tennis Club unveiled its Long Term Plan, the blueprint to take Wimbledon into the 21st Century by providing the finest facilities for all those involved with the event — spectators, players, media, officials — and consistent with our aspiration for The Championships to be embraced as the world’s premier tennis tournament, and still played on grass. 1993: Steffi Graf v Jana Novotna Steffi Graf's fifth Wimbledon title was almost overshadowed by her opponent, Jana Novotna, conspiring to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after leading by a double break of serve in the third set. Graf looked down and out as Novotna went for broke on a second serve while leading 4-1 in the third set, having romped through the second set 6-1. But whether it was nerves or simply getting ahead of herself, she missed, and the whole match changed.

The German storming back to win 7-6, 1-6, 6-4, Novotna cried her eyes out on the Duchess of Kent's shoulder during the trophy presentation, in what has become one of Wimbledon's most iconic images. "Don't worry Jana, I know you can do it," said the Duchess to Novotna. And she was right, the Czech player triumphing in her third Wimbledon final in 1998. "With the way Jana was playing and the way I was playing, yes, I'd kind of lost it," said Graf, who yelped for joy after pulling off a remarkable turnaround. "I didn't give up but I didn't have a very positive feeling." 1994: Steffi Graf v Lori McNeil In a timely reminder, 1994 proved no champion is safe at Wimbledon. The first Tuesday dawned with an ill wind that blasted through Wimbledon's elite like a bull in a china shop, rattling nerves, stealing the strawberries, flipping the table with a glorious smash.

And there was no greater fall than the world No.1 and five-time champion Steffi Graf, a victim of what the legendary Fred Perry described as "wet, greasy and slippery" gusts. Graf and the wind proved no match for the contrasting cool intensity of her first round opponent, the unseeded Lori McNeil of the US. The German, winner of the last three Wimbledon’s and five of the past six, was blown out of the draw faster than any other defending women's champ in 101 years, and after she cracked nobody was safe. Triumphing 7-5, 7-6, it was the best showing by African-Americans at a Grand Slam event since Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon in 1975, and was received with a huge ovation from the rather wet Centre Court crowd. It was, McNeil said, the best moment she had ever known. "It seemed very short, but at the same time—if this makes any sense—it seemed very long and very loud," she said.

"It was a great feeling, a great moment for me." 1994: Conchita Martinez v Martina Navratilova Even in Wimbledon’s rich history, Conchita Martinez’s triumph in the 1994 Ladies’ Singles has to be one of The Championships’ most fascinating stories. She beat a whole host of top names, including nine-time Champion Martina Navratilova in the final. By doing so, Martinez became the first – and to date only – Spanish woman to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish, and the only Champion between 1982 and 1996 other than Navratilova or Steffi Graf. Despite her excellent run, few gave Martinez a chance in the final against Navratilova. Even at 37, the legendary left-hander was a huge favourite, hunting what would have been her 10th singles crown. But it was not to be, as Martinez produced a stunning upset. The Spaniard admits she was actually more anxious about the prospect of meeting Princess Diana on Centre Court that day.

"When they told me she would be at the final and I would have to curtsy for her, I was more nervous about having to do that and meeting her than playing the match! So maybe that was a good thing." 1995: Tim Henman and the ball girl Always considered to be the epitome of British etiquette, it comes as some surprise that Tim Henman, who shouldered British hopes admirably for so long, became the first player ever to be disqualified from Wimbledon. Playing a doubles match alongside Jeremy Bates, the British pair were leading Jeff Tarango and Henrik Holm by two sets to one. Deep into the fourth set, Henman missed a net cord during the tie-break, and, being an impressionable young thing at that time, lashed out with his racket in frustration, hitting the ball he was holding. But it was his and her misfortune that as he did so, a ball girl was crossing the net, and received the full force of the ball on the side of her head. Referee Alan Mills and Wayne McKewan were summoned to the court, and defaulted the pair for ball abuse. At a late-night press conference at the All England Club, Henman described the incident.

"I was not happy at losing the point and was angry. I went to hit the ball hard. I'd looked to see if the linespeople were out of the way." Clearly on the verge of tears, he said: "It's a complete accident, but I'm responsible for my actions." 1995: Arantxa Sanchez Vicario v Steffi Graf Steffi Graf won her sixth Wimbledon title but was forced to work hard in the final by her erstwhile rival Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, eventually triumphing 4-6, 6-1, 7-5. The Spaniard, a clear underdog on grass, dropped only five points on her own serve to take the first set with some exquisite tennis. But Graf battled back, running through the second set before sealing the win with a break in a titanic 20-minute 11th game in the third set, which featured a boggling 13 deuces and 18 game points. Sanchez Vicario attacked Graf's backhand with such consistency that the German spent much of the game camped in the tramlines on the edge of the court.

On her sixth game point, Graf at last found a powerful backhand drive to seal the break of serve and effectively the match. The Centre Court crowd applauded for the entire changeover, the euphoria continuing as Graf served out for the title. Graf let out an enormous sigh of relief and a cry of joy. She won seven Wimbledons among her 22 Grand Slams but never was she forced to fight harder for victory. 1995: Jeff Tarango’s tantrum If John McEnroe, for all his explosions and mutterings, was a master at delivering a line and working the crowd, fellow American Jeff Tarango was the complete opposite. His meltdown at Wimbledon in 1995, was the perfect lesson in how to alienate an entire crowd with a pathetic, childish outburst. Trailing Alexander Mronz in his third-round match, Tarango became increasingly annoyed with chair umpire Bruno Rebeuh, screaming ‘That’s it, I’m not playing….you are one of the most corrupt officials in the game’. After his request to have Rebeuh removed from the match was denied, Tarango walked off the court, defaulting the match.

He then made matters worse by yelling at the crowd to ‘shut up’ when they jeered him off. Even more bizarrely, a few minutes later, Tarango's wife, Benedicte, slapped Rebeuh twice in the face when they encountered one another in the corridor. Tarango was subsequently banned for two Grand Slam tournaments and fined $63,000. 1996: The streaker The 1996 final between Richard Krajicek and MaliVai Washington was the subject of several headlines, not necessarily because it was the first Sampras-less final in four years, or Washington being the first black man in the final since Arthur Ashe, but because 23-year-old Melissa Johnson became the first female streaker to get on to Centre Court. As the players were preparing to warm up, Johnson ran on to the court with an apron on, disrobed, and ran around the hallowed turf. Six years later, a streaker got on to Centre Court during the men’s final at Wimbledon.

During a rain break, with Lleyton Hewitt leading David Nalbandian 6-1, 1-0 in 2002, 37-year-old Mark Roberts jumped on to the court, shed his clothes and gave spectators quite a show. He pirouetted, bowed, somersaulted over the net and flexed his muscles before he was finally caught and escorted away with a red sheet covering his modesty. 1996: Sir Cliff Richard In one of the most famous and clichéd of all Wimbledon rain delays, play was interrupted extensively in 1996, and so Sir Cliff Richard was invited to give an impromptu concert on Centre Court. The ageing popstar delighted the sodden crowd with a rendition of ‘Singing in the Rain,’ backed by the implausible choir of Virginia Wade, Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Gigi Fernandez and Conchita Martinez. "I started with Summer Holiday, almost as a joke," Sir Cliff said. "It was totally a capella, which has its advantages - it's impossible to sing out of key for a start. And the crowd see the vulnerability of someone singing without any help. They were magnificent, from the first moment.

The reaction was stunning." 1997: Middle Sunday After two days of the 1997 Championships were washed out by rain, the club took the decision to play on the middle Sunday for only the second time in Wimbledon history. This was made particularly thrilling thanks to one match where sporting theatre reached its absolute peak – a third-round clash between Tim Henman, the No.14 seed, and Dutchman Paul Haarhuis, regarded as a doubles expert. For the first time in nearly 20 years, a Brit had a chance of Wimbledon glory and the local public, along with genuine tennis enthusiasts from all over the world, camped all night to pick up one of 14,000 cut-price £15 Centre Court tickets. As Tim Henman recalled, he would never experience a crowd like that "Super Sunday" one again in the 10 remaining years of his career. "From the word go, it was something I'd never experienced before," he admitted. "The noise was at a different level. Every time I won a point it felt like the roof was going to come off.

I’ve never played at Wembley, but I can say that’s as good as it gets in tennis." 1997: Tim Henman v Paul Haarhuis On the 1997 Middle Sunday, Tim Henman and Paul Haarhuis met on Centre Court to contest the sought-after fourth round place against defending champion Richard Krajicek. Neither Henman nor Haarhuis were on top form - there were far too many unforced errors and double faults for the purists, but you would struggle to find any tennis match that could beat it for sheer drama. Henman carved out six first-set points in the opener and squandered them all, three on double faults, and went down 9-7 in the tiebreaker. Haarhuis then got the jitters, a double fault of his own handing the British No.1 the second set and two more giving him the third. There then followed an absolutely exhilarating fourth set. Haarhuis broke early then held strong when Henman twice had golden opportunities to break back, to the groans of the crowd. The underdog was putting up a tremendous fight, but it now became all about who had the bravest of brave hearts.

The subsequent fifth and final set went on and on, each game and each point feeling like a lifetime for the predominately British crowd, who cheered every Henman winner with a roar to put soccer fans to shame. Tiger Tim eventually prevailed 6-7(7), 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 14-12, Haarhuis dropping serve to bring the titanic 93-minute decider to an end. Henman went on to beat Krajicek in a four-set, three tie-break thriller before losing to Michael Stich in the quarter-finals. 1997: Martina Hingis Martina Hingis produced the tennis version of rope-a-dope to exhaust Jana Novotna, and become, at 16, the youngest player to win the Wimbledon singles title since 1887. Floating around the court, the young Swiss dismantled the experienced Novotna 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 with a poise and savvy far beyond her years. Despite a slightly timid start, the teenager rallied to hand out an all-court attack that the increasingly weary Novotna was too tired to handle.

"It might be that maybe I'm too young to win this title," said Hingis, who had lost in the French Open final the month before. "But at the French Open I just knew I wasn't in great shape. This time it's like I could do it." It was another blow for Novotna, who had surrendered the title to Steffi Graf four years earlier, but she went on to triumph against Nathalie Tauziat the following year. 1997: The new No. 1 Court Some of Wimbledon's greatest champions, including Rod Laver, John Newcombe, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Louise Brough, Maria Bueno, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova gathered at the All England Club in 1997, invited for the opening ceremony of the new No.1 Court at Wimbledon. Officially opened by the Duke of Kent, the new No.1 Court seats 11,000, an increase of 4,500 on the original No.1 Court, which has been demolished.

The building incorporates a food village, a merchandising shop, 11 hospitality suites and a debenture holders' lounge overlooking courts 14-17. In addition to the new No.1 Court, a broadcast centre, new courts 18 and 19, and a road tunnel linking Somerset Road and Church Road came into operation for the first time. As part of the continuation of the Long Term Plan, the site where the original No.1 Court stood, adjacent to the Centre Court, was turned into what is the Millennium Building today - the new player and press facilities, which were completed in 2000. 1998: Martina Hingis v Jelena Dokic Even Jelena Dokic's volatile father was left speechless after the 16-year-old Australian qualifier knocked out world No.1 Martina Hingis in the first round in 1999 in one of the biggest shocks in Wimbledon history. Bobbing up and down like a boxer on the baseline as she swept past Hingis 6-2, 6-0, Dokic summed it up with the understatement so beloved of teengagers - "I think I played quite well today.

There was no pressure on me to win. I didn't feel nervous. I just went for it," Dokic said. "It's tough to beat her, whether you practise with her or not ... I tried to play my own game." Somewhat ironically, Hingis had taken Dokic under her wing as a training partner, practising together before the French Open, and even taking a holiday together. "Martina and her mum made us feel part of the family for a whole week. We never stopped talking and it was such good fun," Dokic said then. "I hope we are friends forever." 1999: Steffi Graf v Venus Williams Old met new in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, as 19-year-old Venus Williams came up against Steffi Graf, on a high after claiming the French Open. It was a second quarter-final in a row at SW19 for Venus, who hussled and tussled to beat Anna Kournikova in the fourth round. But Graf had not won seven Wimbledon titles by just ambling about.

The seven-time champion neutralised the young Venus's powerful hitting in typical athletic style, running down every groundstroke that her opponent pummelled over the net, and sending it back just as hard. Interrupted four times by rain, both players were forced to produce some of their best tennis, Graf in particular mixing it up with drop shots and net play to keep Williams guessing. Converting on her first match point, Graf hopped up and down, punching the air and screaming with delight. "It rarely happens in the quarter-final to play that kind of tennis," said Graf, remarking that it was the best she had ever had to play to get to the semi-finals at Wimbledon. 1999: Pete Sampras v Andre Agassi Sampras v Agassi was the classic duel of the 1990s. Pistol Pete was the quiet, unassuming fellow who kept to himself while going about the business of amassing a record haul of 14 Grand Slam titles, seven of them at Wimbledon. He served, volleyed and one-handed-backhanded his way into the record books, spent 286 weeks as world No.1 and was a model of consistency.

Agassi on the other hand was a veritable firecracker, up one day, down the next. World No.1, world No.141 – it all depended on where his focus was at the time. The two all-American heroes played each other 34 times between 1989 and 2002, with Sampras holding a 20-14 record and a 4-1 advantage in Grand Slam finals. Serving for the title at 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, Sampras fired down two service winners to make it 30-0. An Agassi backhand return clipped the baseline, then he sent a perfect cross-court forehand as Sampras came in behind a second service to level matters at 30-all. The prostrate Sampras, who had dived in vain to retrieve Agassi’s masterpiece, then picked himself up, dusted himself off and banged a second service right on the T for an ace. On match point, Sampras repeated the feat: two second-serve aces and the title, his sixth Wimbledon crown of seven – was his.

History - 1970s - The Championships, Wimbledon 2017 - Official Site by IBM READ MORE 1970: Margaret Court v Billie Jean King: Margaret Court and Billie Jean King contested one of the great Wimbledon finals in 1970. As veteran commentator John Barrett has said, "It produced one of the most dramatic finals ever seen at Wimbledon." The fact it was televised in colour rather than black and white added to the spectacle while also underlining the changing times of a sport that only two years earlier had turned professional. 1970: John Newcombe v Ken Rosewall: John Newcombe defeated his Australian countryman Ken Rosewall and a partisan crowd 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 to win the men’s singles for a second time. From the start the elegant Rosewall, the underdog, had the Centre Court crowd behind for everyone hoped that this, his third appearance in a final, would be his year having previously been the gallant runner-up in 1954 and 1956.

The 16-year gap set a record-breaking span between his first and this year’s final, one that was so appreciated by the crowd that it led Newcombe to ask ‘why do they hate me?’ With a nine-year age gap between the two, it was always going to be difficult for the 35-year-old Rosewall to outlast the younger former champion and his play proved patchy as Newcombe exploited his weaknesses with his power and guile to level and take a two-sets-to-one lead. Rosewall recovered in the fourth, helped by Newcombe’s brief loss of concentration and the clear favouritism being shown to the older player, but regained his composure to inflict a quick coup de grace over his tiring compatriot in the fifth. 1971: Evonne Goolagong v Margaret Court: The highlight of the Ladies’ singles was the final clash between Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong, an all-Australian encounter, which will be perceived as the end of one era and the start of another.

Goolagong, at 19, had captured the tennis world’s hearts on her second appearance at The Championships with her breezy, easy-going style and sunny smile, which contrasted greatly with the quiet and dignified defending champion Court. While the Aussie teenager arrived in the final having taken out the previous year’s runner-up, Billie Jean King, in three sets, no one expected her to also get the better of the big-hitting defending champion. The die was cast from the opening exchanges as Court surprisingly, showed more nerves than her challenger who immediately raced to a 4-0 lead with ultimate ease. However, Court drew on her experience and clawed her way back to 3-4 but in the eighth game, with Goolagong 15-40 down, she was unable to capitalise and level as the teenager struck three searing winners to completely deflate the champion. Goolagong showed no anxiety in her free-flowing shots to claim six successive games and take the title 6-4 6-1 to become only the fourth teenager to win the women’s singles since the war.

1971: Ken Rosewall: Classic or epic matches are measured by the numbers watching a struggle to the death and the Ken Rosewall v Cliff Ritchie clash at the quarter-final stage of the 1971 Championships falls firmly into that category. Australia’s Rosewall and Ritchie of the US battled it out for 3hrs 59mins before Rosewall captured the semi-final place at stake, 6-8, 5-7, 6-4, 9-7, 7-5, recovering from two sets down and trailing 2-4 and 0-30 in the third. As the scoreline suggests, Richie the hustler from America, had the match well in hand but failed to maintain his supremacy as Rosewall’s doggedness started to pay dividends. From a near hopeless position, Rosewall levelled and went on to score an excellent victory with one of his trademark backhands, passing an attacking Ritchie attempting to stave off a fifth match point. While the victory was popular, the crowd rose in appreciation to acclaim both protagonists’ efforts.

1972: Stan Smith v Ilie Nastase Rain, the first of the fortnight, washed out Saturday play and for the first time in the history of The Championships, the men’s final was played out on the Sunday to the dismay of traditionalists. Stan Smith, the tall upright American and top seed, faced the crowd’s favourite, Ilie Nastase, the Romanian court jester seeded second, and between them, they entertained the crowd with a classic final. Having made his last racket change in the fourth game of the fourth set, Nastase became hyper matching Smith stroke for stroke from the back of the court, dominating the net and showing remarkable determination to level the match. In the decider both players defended stoutly to prevent their opponent to capitalise on their chances but in the 12th game, Smith forced his challenger to net a high backhand volley and concede the final after 164 minutes, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on his fourth match point in what proved to be the closest final since 1933 when Jack Crawford (Aus) beat the title-holder Ellsworth Vines (USA).

1973: The Strike In Britain strikes had always been industrial disputes - until 1973, that is, when most of the men's field at Wimbledon withdrew their labour in the most sensational move in the history of The Championships. As with most disputes, it concerned who was top dog. And in this respect Wimbledon was caught in the middle of a confrontation between the then International Lawn Tennis Federation (now ITF) and the newly-formed players "union", the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). There had already been some flexing of muscles over who ran what, and further turmoil broke out over the Yugoslav number one, Nikki Pilic. He was suspended by his national association, who alleged he had refused to play in a Davis Cup tie. The suspension, supported by the ILTF, meant that Pilic would not be permitted to play at Wimbledon. Ultimately 79 players, including 13 of the original 16 seeds, withdrew. The final was an anti-climax as Czech Jan Kodes, already twice a winner of the French Open, swept aside Alex Metreveli, the first Russian to reach a Wimbledon Gentlemen's final, 6-1, 9-8, 6-3.

The drama was over. And so was the strike. 1974: Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert There were two factors in particular which were unique about the 1974 Championships. The titles were won by an engaged couple, Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert, both of the United States, and in playing terms they attracted particular attention because both were double-fisted on the backhand side. In the end, the opponent Connors had to worry about was the 39-year-old Australian, Ken Rosewall, who stunned the field and captivated the crowd by reaching the final for the fourth time - and 20 years after his first appearance in the final. There was little doubt that the sentiments of the crowd at the final swung towards Rosewall who, clearly, had earned his last chance of winning the title. But Connors raced through to title 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 against an opponent who was obviously tired after the rigours of the previous two rounds. Chris Evert had already been a semi-finalist at her first Wimbledon in 1972, losing to Evonne Goolagong and a finalist in 1973, losing to Billie Jean King.

She was due to play them in sequence in 1974 but both were beaten in earlier matches. Evert had never lost to Russian Olga Morozova so went into the final full of confidence. She won the title for the first time with victory by 6-0, 6-4. The bookmakers had quoted odds of 33-1 on a "love double" for the engaged couple. In the end, Connors and Evert did not marry. 1975: Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon The 1975 Gentlemen's final pitted the brash, abrasive and sometimes uncouth defending champion and No.1 seed, Jimmy Connors, against Arthur Ashe, seeded sixth and tennis's ultimate gentleman. It proved to be one of Wimbledon's greatest finals. Ashe hooked his serve wide to the two-handed backhand of his left-handed opponent and he took pace off his pounding, often error-producing ground-strokes. More importantly, Ashe exploited Connors' weakness - the low forehand. Time and again he caressed a shot that forced Connors to dig a reply out of the turf.

Ashe did not just create the game plan, he stuck to it superbly, winning the first two sets 6-1, 6-1. Connors, a player renowned for his never-say-die attitude was not prepared to give his title up easily and took the third set, 7-5. The fourth set found Connors with an early break-up 3-0 before Ashe won six of the next seven games to take the final set 6-4 and become the first black male to win the Gentlemen's Singles Championship at Wimbledon. 1976: Bjorn Borg v Ilie Nastase: At 20 years and 17 days, Bjorn Borg, became the third youngest men’s singles champion and the youngest since 1931 in what was also the first all-European final since 1936 when Fred Perry beat Gottfried von Cramm. Despite nursing a slight stomach muscle strain, Borg, the fourth seed, required just 1hr and 50mins to dispatch Ilie Nastase 6-4 6-2 9-7 in what was a one-sided contest on a sultry day in SW19.

The ever popular Nastase, the third seed and title favourite, arrived in the final having brushed aside all opposition without the loss of a set only to run into a player on the verge of making tennis history. Borg’s ferociously struck top-spin forehands successfully blunted Nastase’s attacking game, as did the Swede’s speed about the court and his defensive play, which left few opportunities for the 29-year-old to prevent defeat in the final for a second time in five years. Having saved a match point in the 10th game, Nastase took a 6-5 lead only to be frustrated yet again by some weak play on his part, thus allowing Borg to raise the golden trophy for the first time in his blossoming career. 1976: The rise of Chris Evert: Fittingly the 1976 Women’s Singles final saw the year’s best two players facing each other, namely from America, the determined, technically sound and gifted Chris Evert against Australia’s athletic, naturally talented and graceful stroke player, Evonne Goolagong Cawley.

In what had been a scorching fortnight, the favourite for the crown was the popular Cawley but on the day the greater determination of the ice-maiden Evert proved too much for the more laidback approach of the Australian. From the beginning Evert looked to have the edge but with the final level at a set-all and Cawley leading 2-0, the pendulum looked to have swung her way, but Evert broke back and slowly regained the initiative by breaking up her opponent’s game and coming to the net, much to Cawley’s surprise. The accuracy of her passing shots also took their toll and after just over two hours of competitive play, the American claimed her second Wimbledon singles crown, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6, leaving the Australian to rue missed opportunities and accept the runners-up spot for a second consecutive year.

1977: Virginia Wade: Although Virginia Wade had won the US Open in 1968, the Australian Open in 1972 and was twice a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 1974 and 1976, the consensus was that she was past her peak and at 31, far older than exciting new talents such as America's Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova (then of Czechoslavakia, later USA) and Britain's Sue Barker. However, Wade's victory couldn't have been scripted any better. Wade was a British player winning the Ladies' Championship in Wimbledon's centenary year, in front of the Queen during her Silver Jubilee year in 1977. As Wade stood alongside the Queen, clutching the Venus Rosewater Dish she was at the epicentre of one of Britain's greatest sporting moments. Wade later said: "The atmosphere was phenomenal. I've never experienced anything like that in England other than football's 1966 World Cup. The place went absolutely crazy. It was a cauldron of excitement and celebration. It was humbling in a way.

You immersed yourself in it and then you realised the reason for it was because you'd won. I had become a part of a major celebration." Although her final victory against Betty Stove (Netherlands) 4-6 6-3 6-1 ensured Wade the coveted crown, she picked out her semi-final win over defending champion Chris Evert as the high point of that Championships. 1977: The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum: Over the years Wimbledon has been good at marking occasions and there was no better way to celebrate 100 years of tennis than opening a Museum on its grounds during the Club’s Centenary celebrations. The Wimbledon Museum and its associated Lord Ritchie Library, was officially opened on 20th May, 1977 by HRH, The Duke of Kent, and over the years, has become a major London tourist attraction in its own right. From the outset, the Wimbledon Museum was determined to cover all aspects of tennis from its origins, through all the developments to the present day and as far as possible, the future. In addition, special exhibitions highlighting specific areas like ‘tennis fashion through the ages’, were organised to provide additional visitor attractions.

The Museum, originally situated above the old debenture holders restaurant, was designed by Robin Wade and provided a stark contrast to the fustian image of other ‘museums’ to quickly become a must visit for tennis enthusiasts. 1977: Bjorn Borg v Vitas Gerulaitis: Once in a while a tennis match will reach its climax with both players utterly convinced they are going to win until the last stroke of the rally. Such was the case when Bjorn Borg met Vitas Gerulaitis in the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1977. The pair, great friends, practice partners, both possessing blond flowing locks, although Gerulaitis didn't have the beard, sparred over five thrilling sets as Gerulaitis twice came back from a set down. Missing a match point as he scuppered a simple backhand down the line, he eventually went down 6-8 in the fifth set in the Centre Court twilight. "I'm surprised I had it in me to play that well, and I'm completely choked I lost," Gerulaitis said afterwards. Borg went on to win the match and claim the second of his five Wimbledon titles against Jimmy Connors in the final.

1977: Bjorn Borg v Jimmy Connors: The Bjorn Borg-Jimmy Connors final in the Centenary Year of The Championships provided a more than suitable climax to what had been a somewhat controversial start to the celebrations. That final saw the two champions remorselessly battling it out, on fast grass, from the back of the court in what in hindsight, could be deemed the start of the baseline era. It was the first time these two great champions had met on grass with Borg pulling ahead to lead two sets to one by deploying less spin, hitting flatter deliveries and mixing in a series of nothing balls. But the Viking’s iron concentration wavered and the American came storming back to force a decider. Crucially, Connors raised his own game to draw level at 4-all in the fifth set but a double fault at 15-love, only his second of the match, proved pivotal for he then failed to win another point as a weary Borg closed the match out 3-6 6-2 6-1 5-7 6-4 after three hours and 14 minutes of gruelling play.

1977: John McEnroe v Jimmy Connors: John McEnroe has often said that he did not choose tennis as his pursuit. Tennis found him. And that moment, when he shot on to the scene as a pale, unathletic looking 18-year-old in Wimbledon 1977, was the turning point. Runner-up at the 18&U national junior championships, and ranked No.270 in the world, he earned the chance to play the Wimbledon qualifying tournament. Two weeks later, he found himself in the semi-finals against Jimmy Connors. Aged 18 years and four months, McEnroe became the youngest semi-finalist in 100 years of The Championships when he defeated Phil Dent in the quarter-finals, simultaneously becoming the first qualifier to reach the semi-finals. Luring Connors into errors by varying the pace of the game, McEnroe unleashed a series of backhands to take the third set, and dent the world No.1's pride. The turning point of the match came in the seventh game of the fourth set, McEnroe fending off two break points before Connors finally broke and served out the match.

The life of John McEnroe would never be the same again. 1980: Chris Evert v Martina Navratilova All along, the talk of Wimbledon 1978 had been about defending champion Martina Navratilova and Tracy Austin, the top two seeds. But Chris Evert, or Chris Evert-Lloyd as she was then, floated through the draw free from the Centre Court scrutiny that can sometimes make winning a major tennis title so agonising. When she met her erstwhile rival Navratilova, in the semi-finals, the latter seemed more frustrated than tired. Not even the traditional spit-kiss on each cheek that her mother, Jana, had given her before each match during the last two years, a Czech good-luck custom, could keep her volleys in the court. Alongside the 37 other matches that the two stars of the game had contested, it was not a well-played match. Even Navratilova's mother told her in the locker-room, "you played bad".

But to Evert's credit, she fought her way into the match, eventually triumphing 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in a reverse of their two previous Wimbledon encounters, both in the final. 1979: Billie Jean King wins 20th title Immediately after Bjorn Borg won a record fourth successive men's title at Wimbledon, Billie Jean King grabbed the Centre Court spotlight by becoming the most prolific Wimbledon winner. The 35-year-old partnered singles champion Martina Navratilova to win the women's doubles final 5-7 6-3, 6-2 against Australia's Wendy Turnbull and Holland's Betty Stove. It gave King the 20th title she had been chasing for four years. Since winning the singles title for the sixth time in 1975, the American had shared the record of 19 titles with Elizabeth Ryan, who, in a bizarre twist of fate, died 24 hours before King surpassed her in the record books. "It seemed she didn't want to see her record broken," King said. "Although she told me that if anyone was going to break it, she hoped it would be me.

Right from my early days, Elizabeth was always around watching the juniors and one felt her presence." King's 20 Championships are made up of six singles titles, 10 doubles titles and four mixed doubles titles. Ranking the Greatest Champions in Wimbledon History | Bleacher Report Ranking the Greatest Champions in Wimbledon History Ranking the Greatest Champions in Wimbledon History 1 of 13 Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Rod LaverPool/Getty Images Roger Federer is shooting for his eighth Wimbledon title this year. Serena Williams is going for her sixth. With those credentials, they belong in the discussion regarding the greatest Wimbledon champions. But does either rank at the very top? In our ranking of the greatest champions in Wimbledon history, we considered only players who won Wimbledon titles in the Open Era (since 1968). However, we included two players who won Wimbledon titles in both the pre-Open Era and the Open Era. This excludes pre-Open Era stars such as Helen Wills (eight Wimbledon singles titles), Suzanne Lenglen (who never lost a completed Wimbledon singles match) and Bill Tilden (who won his last Wimbledon title at age 37).

The rankings are based primarily on the number of Wimbledon singles titles won, although consideration also was given to the quality of the opposition, the dominance the player demonstrated at Wimbledon and the player's overall fame as measured by the Tennis Channel's 2012 rankings of the 100 greatest players of all time. In some cases, factors that made a player's accomplishment special were included in the evaluation. We pared the candidates down to a dozen then ranked the 12 greatest champions in Wimbledon history. 12. Chris Evert Getty Images/Getty Images Wimbledon titles: Three (1974, 1976, 1981) Chris Evert was almost unbeatable on clay during her prime years, but she had the misfortune of playing in an era occupied by perhaps the best women's grass-court player in history, Martina Navratilova. Evert reached the Wimbledon final 10 times but won only three titles, losing to Navratilova all five times the two met in the tournament's climax. However, Evert did beat Navratilova in the 1976 semifinals before taking out Evonne Goolagong Cawley in the final for her second Wimbledon crown.

Evert was only 21 at the time, but she would win Wimbledon on just one more occasion. Evert's run through the 1981 tournament was by far her most impressive. She did not lose a set during the tournament and lost no more than four games in any of her final four matches. She took apart Hana Mandlikova 6-2, 6-2 in the final. Mandlikova had already done Evert a favor by beating Navratilova in the semifinals. Although grass was Evert's least favorite surface, she was able to challenge for the title virtually every year, and she was clearly among tennis' all-time greats. She was placed No. 9 on the Tennis Channel's rankings of the top 100 players in history. 11. Boris Becker DAVE CAULKIN/Associated Press Wimbledon titles: Three (1985, 1986, 1989) Boris Becker won two Wimbledon titles before he reached his 19th birthday, suggesting he might rule the All England Club like nobody in history.

His powerful serve, excellent volley and ability to dive and bounce around the grass court made it appear he would dominate Wimbledon for years to come. He won his third Wimbledon title in 1989, still at the tender age of 21, but never won it again. Becker's most dramatic Wimbledon title was his first, when, at age 17, he became the youngest male to win Wimbledon and the first unseeded player to do it. He did it with a flamboyant style that made him a spectator's delight. His second and third Wimbledon titles were more impressive from a tennis standpoint. Becker knocked off No. 1-seeded Ivan Lendl in straight sets in the 1986 final and defeated No. 1-seeded Lendl and No. 2-seeded Stefan Edberg in his final two matches in 1989, the latter in straight sets. Becker's flair was nearly as important as his results in earning him a spot on this list. 10.

John McEnroe Adam Stoltman/Associated Press Wimbledon titles: Three (1981, 1983, 1984) Considering the way John McEnroe dominated the 1984 Wimbledon tournament at the age of 25, it's hard to believe he never won the event again. In fact, McEnroe never won any Grand Slam tournament after the age of 25 even though he had one of the most dominating seasons in men's tennis history in 1984. McEnroe's epic five-set loss to Bjorn Borg in the 1980 final simply set the stage for his victory over Borg in the 1981 final at the age of 22. After losing to Jimmy Connors in the 1982 Wimbledon final, McEnroe responded with magnificent performances the next two years. He lost only one set in his run through the 1983 Wimbledon, beating overmatched Chris Lewis in the final 6-2, 6-2, 6-2.

The next year he again lost only one set on his way to the title, thrashing Connors 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 in the final in perhaps the most impressive exhibition of grass-court tennis in history. ''That's the best I've ever played,'' said McEnroe after that match, according to the New York Times. McEnroe would win the U.S. Open later that year, giving him two titles and a runner-up finish in the three majors he played during that season. But he would never win another Grand Slam singles title, getting to the final of only one more, the 1987 U.S. Open. 9. Venus Williams Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Wimbledon titles: Five (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008) Venus Williams' five Wimbledon women's singles titles are tied for the third most in the Open Era, behind only Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. Williams made a habit of playing her best tennis at the All England Club.

She was not the top seed in any of her five Wimbledon title runs and was among the top four seeds in only one. Williams knocked off the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world en route to her first title, beating Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport in 2000. However, Williams' championship mettle was best displayed while winning her third and fourth Wimbledon crowns. She had lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open and the third round of the French Open when she entered the 2005 Wimbledon event ranked No. 16 and seeded 14th. Williams proceeded to roll through Wimbledon, beating No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova in the semifinals and No. 1 Davenport in the final. In 2007, after two-injury plagued seasons, Williams came into Wimbledon ranked 31st and seeded No. 23. She struggled in the tournament's first week against little-known opponents. But she dominated in the second week, winning her final four matches in straight sets—three of which were against players ranked in the top six. Williams became the lowest seeded player to win a Wimbledon title. Five of Williams' seven Grand Slam titles were achieved at Wimbledon.

Although she was not as proficient as sister Serena on all surfaces, Venus Williams was and is capable of beating anyone on the grass at Wimbledon. 8. Rod Laver Getty Images/Getty Images Wimbledon titles: Four (1961, 1962, 1968, 1969) There is no telling how many Wimbledons Rod Laver would have won if pros had been allowed to play the tournament in the mid-1960s. Laver won four consecutive Wimbledons in which he participated. He won the event during his final two years as an amateur then captured the first two Wimbledons in the Open Era, in 1968 and 1969. His best years, between 1963 and 1967, were spent dominating the pro circuit, a period that covered five Wimbledons he was excluded from playing. His 1968 title run was historically important because it was the first Open Wimbledon, as Laver knocked off Arthur Ashe and Tony Roche in the final two matches without the loss of a set.

His 1962 and 1969 Wimbledon crowns were particularly significant because they were part of his Grand Slam years. He is still the only person to sweep all four major tournaments in the same calendar year twice. In 1969, Laver had to get past Stan Smith, Cliff Drysdale, Ashe and John Newcombe to claim his final Wimbledon title at the age of 30. By virtually any measure, Laver ranks as one of tennis' all-time greats. He is No. 2 in the Tennis Channel's 2012 rankings of the top 100 players in history. 7. Bjorn Borg Getty Images/Getty Images Wimbledon titles: Six (1966, 1967, 1968, 1972, 1973, 1975) Two of Billie Jean King's six Wimbledon titles came in the pre-Open Era. However, that is less of a factor in women's tennis because there was no pro circuit for women before 1968. All the best women's players were amateurs before tennis became open to the pros. King played her best tennis on the grass at Wimbledon.

Half of her Grand Slam singles titles were achieved at Wimbledon, and 11 of her 12 major crowns were captured on grass. King's serve-and-volley game was perfectly suited to the fast grass surface. King was 22 when she defeated Margaret Court (then Margaret Smith) and Maria Bueno in consecutive matches to win her first Wimbledon title in 1966, and she lost only one set while capturing the Wimbledon crown the next two years as well. King beat Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong Cawley in succession to win the 1972 title and beat the same two in consecutive matches to win Wimbledon the next year. However, her defining Wimbledon was in 1975, when King was 31 years old. She trailed Evert 3-0, 40-15 on Evert's serve in the third set before rallying to win that semifinal match, then she dominated Goolagong 6-0, 6-1 in the most lopsided Wimbledon final ever. King had proclaimed earlier that the 1975 Wimbledon would be her last major singles tournament, and she did not play singles in any of the next eight majors.

However, she would play Wimbledon singles six more times after that, getting as far as the semifinals in her last appearance in 1983 at the age of 39. 5. Serena Williams Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Wimbledon titles: Five (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012) The final chapter of Serena Williams' story has yet to be written, and she could rise several spots in the ranking of Wimbledon champions before she is through. Her five Wimbledon titles over a span of 10 years speak to her longevity and her ability to maintain a high level of play over an extended period. She won her first Wimbledon crown at the age of 20 and her fifth at the age of 30. At age 33, she came into this year's Wimbledon as the favorite to win her sixth Wimbledon crown. If Williams wins it, she would become the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title, being several days older than Martina Navratilova was when she won the 1990 Wimbledon crown.

A Wimbledon victory would give Williams the first three legs of a calendar-year Grand Slam that she could complete with a win at the U.S. Open. Winning Wimbledon would also give Williams her 21st Grand Slam singles title, leaving her one behind Steffi Graf (the Open Era record-holder) and three behind Margaret Court (who owns the all-time mark). Williams has been particularly effective in Grand Slam finals, owning a 20-4 record in title matches, including 5-2 at Wimbledon. Williams has given no hints that a decline is imminent. She is still ranked No. 1 by a wide margin, and there is reason to believe she will be the Wimbledon favorite in 2016 and 2017 if she chooses to continue playing. 4.

Steffi Graf DAVE CAULKIN/Associated Press Wimbledon titles: Seven (1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996) Steffi Graf's seven Wimbledon singles championships are the second most among women in the Open Era (behind Martina Navratilova's nine) and the third most overall (also behind Helen Wills' eight). Graf's first Wimbledon title, achieved three weeks after her 19th birthday, was the most significant because it was part of Graf's calendar-year Grand Slam in 1988. No one has won all four majors in the same year since. In 1988 and 1989, Graf had to beat Martina Navratilova, perhaps the best grass-court player of all time, in the final to claim the titles. Graf's most impressive performance came at the 1992 Wimbledon, when she beat No. 3-ranked Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals and dominated No.

1-ranked Monica Seles 6-2, 6-1 in the final. Seles had won the first two majors of 1992 but was no match for Graf at the All England Club that day. "I think I am playing here the best tennis of my career," Graf said after the match, according to the New York Times. Her Wimbledon victories in 1995 and 1996 came during years she won all three Grand Slam events in which she participated. (She forfeited opportunities to complete Grand Slams those years by not playing in the first major of the year, the Australian Open.) Graf played in the Wimbledon final nine times, winning all but two. She lost in her first Wimbledon final to Navratilova when Graf was 18 years old, and a 30-year-old Graf was beaten by Lindsay Davenport in the final of her last appearance in a Grand Slam singles event in 1999. 3.

Pete Sampras ANJA NIEDRINGHAUS/Associated Press Wimbledon titles: Seven (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012) Roger Federer's seven men's Wimbledon singles titles are tied for the most in history, and he was named the greatest player ever in the Tennis Channel's 2012 rankings of the greatest players in history. Those two facts alone earn him a place at or near the top of our rankings of the greatest Wimbledon champions. Federer virtually owned the All England Club through the 2000s, winning five straight Wimbledon crowns from 2003 through 2007, tying a men's record for consecutive titles set by Bjorn Borg. His five-year run began after an embarrassing loss, as the No. 7-seeded Federer was beaten in straight sets in the first round of the 2002 Wimbledon by qualifier Mario Ancic, who was ranked No. 154 in the world.

However, Federer did not lose at the All England Club again until Rafael Nadal defeated him in their epic, five-set 2008 final. That 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 loss ended Federer's 40-match winning streak at Wimbledon and his 65-match winning streak on grass. Federer's all-court skills—which combined powerful groundstrokes off both wings with excellent net play, a consistent serve and deft touch—made him almost unbeatable on grass for nearly a decade. His Wimbledon dominance began in 2003, when he ran through his final four opponents without the loss of a set. Federer knocked off Andy Roddick in the final the next two years, and the only set Federer lost in the 2006 Wimbledon was a third-set tiebreaker against Nadal in the final. Federer beat Nadal again in the 2007 final before Nadal turned the tables in 2008, ending the streak.

Federer's most impressive Wimbledon performance may have been the one that produced his most recent Wimbledon title, as Federer beat Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in the final two rounds to win the 2012 tournament. 1. Martina Navratilova 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)

Question: On how many occasions did John McEnroe win the men's singles title at Wimbledon ?
Answer: THREE