Five memorable Wimbledon moments

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and a highlight of the sporting calendar. And, next week it’s back, showcasing the best players on the planet as they look to secure the prestigious title. As such a historic event, Wimbledon has created many fantastic memories for tennis fans throughout the years.

Here we will look back at five of the most memorable Wimbledon moments ever.

John Isner beats Nicolas Mahut

Normally, big serving American John Isner beating Nicolas Mahut in a first-round match wouldn’t be newsworthy, so why is this so different? It’s because the pair happened to play out the longest game in history, with Isner taking the final set 70-68.

All in all, the game spanned across three days and the players were on court for 11 hours and five minutes! Another record was broken during the game too, with the number of aces in one match. Previously totalling 78, Mahut would hit 103 that would’ve comfortably beaten the record, but Isner hit 112. It’s a game that will be remembered forever.

Andy Murray ends Britain’s 77-year wait

When Fred Perry won Wimbledon in 1936 it’s hard to imagine that any British fans would’ve thought they’d have to wait 77 years until the next successful home-grown men’s champion, but that’s exactly what happened. Many tried and failed over the years, but it was Andy Murray who would finally end the wait.

Backed by the majority of the 15,000 crowd in Centre Court, the Scot played some superb tennis to get the better of Novak Djokovic. The Serb was the number one ranked player in the world and in fabulous form, but Murray secured a straight-sets victory to cement his reputation as the best British player ever.

You cannot be serious!

John McEnroe is now a respected pundit for several media outlets at Wimbledon, but back in 1981 he was the rising star of tennis. He had won the US Open at 20 and was about to embark on his rivalry with Bjorn Borg which would define that era. However, despite his undoubted ability he was also known for his short fuse with officials.

With no technology available, every call was left to those in charge. After serving what he thought was an ace in a first-round match against Tom Gullikson, McEnroe was dismayed to see it was called out. He then began to rant at umpire Edward James and uttered the phrase “you cannot be serious”, which he is still reminded of to this day.

The Federer-Nadal epic

The 2008 final between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal is widely regarded as the best tennis match of all time. Before the start of the tournament, the dominant pair had won 14 of the last 16 Grand Slam titles. Although, it was Federer who was the king of Wimbledon, having secured the championship five years in a row, beating Nadal in the previous two finals.

Yet, the younger Spaniard had secured the first two sets 6-4, 6-4, putting him in pole position. But, this was developing into an epic, with Federer winning the third on tie-break to keep him in the game. Another tie-break victory in the fourth set us up for an amazing final set. Both players were playing at the top of their game and once again this set was going further than usual. Eventually, Nadal would prevail 9-7, ending the Swiss players reign at Wimbledon. Overall, the match lasted four hours and 48 minutes, making it the longest singles final at Wimbledon of all time.

Boris Becker wins Wimbledon at 17

Boris Becker would go on to have a fantastic tennis career, but back in 1985 he was just setting out on his journey and was unknown to the average fan. However, he grabbed the attention of the public when he surprisingly won Queen’s, the tournament designed to get player’s in shape for Wimbledon.

Nevertheless, two weeks later when he started the championship he was an unseeded outsider, inevitably given his age. But, that didn’t stop him reproducing the same form which would take him to the final, where he was up against eighth seed Kevin Curren, who’d beaten Jimmy Connors in the semi-final. But, Becker would overpower his more experienced opponent and secured a shock win in four sets, to announce himself to the world. In the process he became the youngest ever winner of Wimbledon, the first unseeded player and the first German to ever win the title.