Wimbledon - 125 years of great memories

WIMBLEDON is the greatest tennis tournament around.  For a fortnight every June, the sporting world sets its sights on SW19 for another doze of spectacular tennis action.  Dreams are crushed, champions are made and stories are made which live for generations to come.  In 2011, the glorious tournament in South West London will be celebrating its 125^th year.  Below are some of my favourite moments from the history of the championships.

     In the last 125 years, Wimbledon has seen some great champions and periods of dominance in both the men’s and women’s game.  The new millennium saw the genuine arrival of the Williams sisters on the game.  From a background where they had to work hard for everything, both Serena and Venus have graced the game and saved their best form for the grass court season.  When Venus beat Lindsay Davenport to win the title in 2000, few could have thought that both she and Serena would monopolise the first Saturday in July so often.  Eight times in the last ten years has seen a Williams sister walkaway with the famous dish at the end of Wimbledon.

COMFORT: The Duchess of Kent consoles Novotna after 1993 collapse

     Before their arrival, it was Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf who claimed the most glory at Wimbledon.  Navratilova won the ladies singles title a staggering nine times, between 1979 and 1990.  It would have been ten, but for a shock loss in the final to the unfancied Conchita Martinez of Spain in 1994.  Twelve months earlier, Graf was part of one of the most memorable finals in Wimbledon history.  With chief rival Monica Seles missing, after being stabbed in the back by a crazed fan in a pre-tournament match in Hamburg, it was expected for the German Graf to walkaway with another Wimbledon title.  Czech Jana Novotna had other ideas and played some sensational tennis.  Novotna won the second set of the final, then pressured Graf into some high-profile errors and landed a double break to lead 4-1 in the deciding set.  Tragically, Novotna choked at the critical moment as Graf stormed back to win 6-4 and another Grand Slam.  Afterwards, Novotna was inconsolable as she broke down on the shoulders of the Duchess of Kent.  The Duchess told Novotna she would have another chance.  In 1997, she was overpowered by Martina Hingis in the final, but in 1998, the popular Czech finally won the title that eluded her in 1993.  French veteran Nathalie Tauziat couldn’t cope with Novotna’s desire and lost in straight sets.  It was one of the most popular and emotional occasions in SW19’s colourful history.

     There was British success in the ladies singles in 1977, when infront of the Queen in Silver Jubilee year, Virginia Wade won the title.  However, in the men’s game, it has been a painful 75-year wait for a British winner, since Fred Perry in 1936.  In recent years, the Brits have come close.  Andy Murray has reached two semi-finals and Tim Henman four.  In 1998, 1999 and 2002, Henman had little chance against Pete Sampras (twice) and Lleyton Hewitt.  However, 2001 was Tiger Tim’s best chance which even he admits he would love to play again if he had again.  On semi-final day, he was two sets to one up against Croatian wildcard Goran Ivanisevic, having won the third set 6-0 in just 14 minutes!  Unfortunately, the rain came down and continued to fall the following day.  When they finally resumed play on the Sunday morning, Ivanisevic, ranked no.125 going into the tournament, came out a different player and turned the match around.  Henman had no answer and bowed out in five sets.  24 hours later, Ivanisevic returned to play Australian veteran Pat Rafter in a gripping final.  In a breathtaking final, lasting just over three hours, Goran won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 to become the first ever male player to win a Grand Slam, having been awarded a wildcard entry. 

ANNUAL: Sampras kisses the trophy after traditional win in 1998

     Some players have been unlucky to have never won Wimbledon.  Ivan Lendl lost two finals; Andy Roddick has been beaten in three, whilst Seles, Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario and Justine Henin are amongst the massive women’s names to never win the tournament.  Others just find themselves on home at SW19, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer are the two recent prime examples.  Sampras won his first Wimbledon in 1993, beating former no.1 and fellow American Jim Courier in the final.  He then went onto dominate Wimbledon in the 90s.  The words; ‘Game, Set, Match Sampras,’ became very common with a lot of spectators.  Sampras won the title in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000.  ‘Pistol Pete’ was a seven-time winner, with his Wimbledon reign being ended by the young pretender Federer, in the fourth round in 2001.  After a surprise early exit to Mario Ancic the following year, Federer put his own stamping mark on Wimbledon in the new century.  He beat Mark Philippoussis in straight sets in 2003 and won it six times since.  He broke Sampras Grand Slam record, when he won his sixth Wimbledon against Roddick in 2009, with Sampras in attendance in the Royal Box.  However, he lost the greatest final of all time, to his main current challenger, Rafael Nadal in 2008.  Some of the tennis played between these two players on that Sunday afternoon/evening was simply awe-inspiring.  It was a joy to watch and if there was one game where no-one deserved to lose, it was this match.

     Not forgetting Arthur Ashe becoming the first coloured player to win the singles in 1975, the epic Borg/McEnroe tiebreak of 1980, Boris Becker winning the title in 1985 at just 17, Pat Cash climbing into the Royal Box after his 1987 win against Lendl in straight sets, Maria Sharapova’s attempts to call her mum and hold up the trophy presentation after her 2004 win and the epic first round clash between John Isner and Nicholas Mahut last year, with Isner winning through 70-68 in the final set!

     Wimbledon has given us so many memories.  I was privileged enough to visit SW19 on ladies semi-final day in 2003, to witness two of the men’s quarter-finals, featuring Roddick and Philippoussis.  I would love to go again at some point, because there is something special about the place.  Will the British wait end this year?  Let’s hope so.  Here’s to the next 125 years!