Wimbledon Winners: History, Top Champions & Iconic Moments in Men’s and Women’s Tennis

by , 22 March 2023

Welcome to our latest blog post, where we’ll celebrate Wimbledon winners in the thrilling world of tennis. As the oldest and most prestigious Grand Slam, Wimbledon showcases remarkable talent in men’s and women’s categories. Join us as we explore unforgettable performances and the pursuit of greatness on the iconic grass courts.

Wimbledon Previous Winners

Wimbledon, sometimes called the Wimbledon Championships, is the world’s oldest and most renowned tennis competition and a firm favourite for tennis betting fans and has many dedicated Wimbledon betting sites. Since 2019, retractable roofs have covered the two main courts where it has been played since 1877 at Wimbledon, London’s All-England Club.

The Australian Open, French Open, and US Open are the other three Grand Slam tennis competitions, along with Wimbledon. The only major currently held on grass, the customary court for tennis, is Wimbledon. Moreover, it is the only Grand Slam that still enforces a curfew at night, even though matches can now go until 11 p.m. under lights.

The event’s customary conclusion is the Ladies and Gentlemen’s Singles Championships, set for Saturday and Sunday at the end of the second week.

The tournament typically lasts two weeks in late June and early July, beginning on the final Monday in June.

A further five main contests are contested annually, along with junior and invitational competitions.

To reduce the amount of playing time lost due to inclement weather, Wimbledon’s Center Court was equipped with a retractable roof in 2009. From 2019, No. 1 Court had a functional roof. Several other upgrades were performed, such as adding padded seats, a table, and ten independently movable cameras per court to record the matches.

In 1996, during a lengthy rain delay at Wimbledon, singer Cliff Richard entertained the Centre Court crowd with a few acapella songs, including “Summer Holiday”. He had no intention of singing but eventually accepted the pleas from the crowd. Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver joined him as backup singers. The moment remains iconic in Wimbledon’s history and was recently relived during the Centre Court centenary celebrations in 2022.

Wimbledon is known for its royal sponsorship and rigid all-white dress requirement for contestants. However, at the competition, strawberries and cream are typically served. In contrast to other events, official vendors like Slazenger and Rolex only do minimal and understated advertising. The partnership with Slazenger, providing balls for the competition since 1902, is the world’s longest-running sporting sponsorship.

Novak Djokovic, one of the most prolific Wimbledon men’s winners, is the current reigning Wimbledon winner. Djokovic overcame Nick Kyrgios’ flawless start in one of the most eagerly anticipated grand slam finals ever for spectators by raising his bar and gradually stifling his opponent, as he often does. Djokovic returned from a set down to beat Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 and win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.

The recent addition to the Wimbledon winners list is Elena Rybakina, who won the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, Elena Rybakina, who won the Wimbledon women’s singles tennis championship by defeating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. That was her first significant singles victory. After Li Na and Naomi Osaka, Rybakina became the third player from an Asian country to win a major championship. She was also the first Kazakh women Wimbledon winners to do so. She also made history by being the first Kazakh to get through the major quarterfinals. After Amélie Mauresmo in 2006, Rybakina was the first contestant to overcome a set deficit to triumph in the championship.

Here is a list of Wimbledon winners since 2012:

Year Wimbledon Men’s Winner Summary
2021 Novak Djokovic Djokovic defeated Matteo Berrettini 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, securing his sixth Wimbledon title.
2019 Novak Djokovic In the longest Wimbledon final, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer 7-6, 1-6, 7-6, 4-6, 13-12.
2018 Novak Djokovic Djokovic was one of the Wimbledon winners in 2018. He won his fourth Wimbledon title by beating Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6.
2017 Roger Federer Federer claimed a record-tying eighth Wimbledon title by defeating Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.
2016 Andy Murray Murray won his second Wimbledon title by defeating Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6, 7-6.
2015 Novak Djokovic Djokovic beat Federer 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 for his third Wimbledon championship.
2014 Novak Djokovic Djokovic won a five-set thriller against Federer 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4.
2013 Andy Murray Murray became the first British Wimbledon winners since 1936 to join the Wimbledon winners list, defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
2012 Roger Federer Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title by beating Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.

Female Wimbledon Winners

Below are some female Wimbledon winners over the recent past:

Year Wimbledon Women’s Winner Summary
2021 Ashleigh Barty Barty defeated Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, claiming her first Wimbledon title.
2019 Simona Halep Halep beat Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 to win her first Wimbledon championship.
2018 Angelique Kerber Kerber won her third major title, defeating Serena Williams 6-3, 6-3.
2017 Garbine Muguruza Muguruza won her first Wimbledon title, beating Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0.
2016 Serena Williams One of the most famous Wimbledon women’s winners, Venus Williams claimed her seventh Wimbledon title, defeating Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3.
2015 Serena Williams Williams beat Garbine Muguruza 6-4, 6-4 for her sixth Wimbledon singles title.
2014 Petra Kvitová Kvitová defeated Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-0 for her second Wimbledon championship.
2013 Marion Bartoli Bartoli won her first major title by beating Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-4.
2012 Serena Williams Williams claimed her fifth Wimbledon title, defeating Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.

Wimbledon Winners – Top Players

The Wimbledon Winners List includes several recognisable, repeating names. The following are some of the best tennis players with the most Wimbledon tournament wins:

Roger Federer

Roger Federer is the seventh-highest-paid athlete in the world, a household name on the men’s Wimbledon winners list. In 2011, voters ranked this tennis excellent as the second-most deserving of respect and admiration. He won six Australian Opens, five US Opens, one French Open, and eight Wimbledon titles, a record that still stands. He began playing tennis when he was eight years old and won the junior title in his native Switzerland. Federer stands out above all past Wimbledon champions for his ferocious, aggressive, but graceful game.

Novak Djokovic

Jelena Gencic discovered a young tennis prodigy in Serbia, who would eventually become one of the most triumphant champions in Wimbledon’s illustrious history – none other than Novak Djokovic. She guided and mentored him until the tender age of 13 before he embarked on his remarkable professional journey at just 14 years old. Today, Djokovic has skyrocketed to the status of the world’s 46th-highest-paid athlete and proudly holds the record for the most Wimbledon titles, boasting an astonishing collection of 20 Grand Slam trophies.

Federer and Bjorn Borg remain the only players to secure five consecutive men’s singles championships at Wimbledon, a remarkable accomplishment Djokovic has the potential to achieve in 2023. It’s a remarkable demonstration of Djokovic’s enduring prowess that he has reached this level after turning 30. As evidenced by his dominant performance last year, reminiscent of a well-oiled machine that maintains Wimbledon’s immaculate grass at eight millimetres in height, Djokovic shows no indication of losing momentum.

Martina Navratilova

One of the best female Wimbledon winners is Martina Navratilova, who was born in Prague, Czech Republic.

Navratilova is a tennis legend whose performances at Wimbledon have etched her name in the annals of the tournament’s history. With an unparalleled nine Wimbledon Singles Championships titles to her name, Navratilova’s dominance at the All England Club is nothing short of astounding.

Between 1978 and 1990, Martina Navratilova reigned supreme at Wimbledon. She won her first Wimbledon singles title in 1978 by defeating Chris Evert.

It was a win that would kickstart an incredible sequence of wins, and she remained unbeaten at SW19, picking up the championship each year from 1978 to 1983. Chris Evert halted her astonishing run in 1984, but she bounced back with a hattrick of wins in 1985, 1986, and 1987.

It wasn’t just in the singles where she excelled; she also thrived in the doubles and mixed doubles at Wimbledon. She amassed 7 Women’s Doubles titles and 4 Mixed Doubles titles at the prestigious tournament, bringing her overall Wimbledon championship tally to an astonishing 20.

Her extraordinary athleticism, tenacity, and special skill set made her a deadly opponent on Wimbledon’s grass courts. She has won nine Wimbledon Singles Championships. She is highly passionate about her sport, which has allowed her to achieve incredible professional exploits for the past 40 years or more.

Navratilova has had health issues recently and she recently was interviewed by Piers Morgan, you can see clips of the interview in the Tweet below;

Serena Williams

Serena Williams, a prominent figure among Wimbledon women’s champions, boasts an extraordinary life story that inspired a movie in which Will Smith, playing her father, earned an Oscar.

Serena’s journey to join the Wimbledon ladies winners list commenced in 2002 when she defeated her sister Venus in the final to claim her first prestigious singles title at the tournament. Serena replicated her success the following year, beating Venus once more to secure back-to-back Wimbledon victories.

Over the years, Serena continued to assert her supremacy at Wimbledon, earning additional singles titles in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2016. Each victory showcased her incredible prowess, agility, and unwavering determination to excel on the famed grass courts.

Partnering with her sister Venus, the dynamic duo has clinched the Women’s Doubles title on six occasions (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2016).

Year Grand Slam Opponent in final
1999 US Open Martina Hingis
2002 French Open Venus Williams
2002 Wimbledon Venus Williams
2002 US Open Venus Williams
2003 Australian Open Venus Williams
2003 Wimbledon Venus Williams
2005 Australian Open Lindsay Davenport
2007 Australian Open Maria Sharapova
2008 US Open Jelena Jankovic
2009 Australian Open Dinara Safina
2009 Wimbledon Venus Williams
2010 Australian Open Justine Henin
2010 Wimbledon Vera Zvonareva
2012 Wimbledon Agnieszka Radwanska
2012 US Open Victoria Azarenka
2013 French Open Maria Sharapova
2013 US Open Victoria Azarenka
2014 US Open Caroline Wozniacki
2015 Australian Open Maria Sharapova
2015 French Open Lucie Safarova
2015 Wimbledon Garbine Muguruza
2016 Wimbledon Angelique Kerber
2017 Australian Open Venus Williams

As you can see in the table above; it wasn’t just at Wimbledon that Serena made an incredible impact. Serena retired from the sport in September 2022.

How Much Do The Winners Of Wimbledon Get?

The answer to the question,” how much do the winners of Wimbledon get?” is simple, as you can see in the table below. Wimbledon winners men and Wimbledon winners female took home £2,000,000 for winning the top prize at SW19.

Winner Runners-up Semi-Finalists Quarter-Finalists Fourth Round Third Round Second Round First Round
Prize 2,000,000 1,050,000 535,000 310,000 190,000 120,000 78,000 50,000
Total 2,000,000 1,050,000 1,070,000 1,240,000 1,520,000 1,920,000 2,496,000 3,200,000

In 2022, the prize money for the winners was £2m, representing an increase of 17.6% from the previous year. In addition, all gentlemen’s and ladies’ singles prizes were increased, with the total prize pot seeing an average increase of 7.5%. The most significant upturn in prize money was for the qualifying rounds.

A player who reaches the first round will have earned £11,000, almost a third higher than the year before (29.4%) and 57.1% higher than in 2019. Players who reach the second round earn £19,000 (an increase of 22.6%) and an additional £32,000 if they get to the third round of qualifying. In Wimbledon winners history, men used to be paid more for a win, but they are now paid the same.

However, as we’ve covered in our how much do tennis players make article, prize money is only one aspect as players often earn much more away from the court.

In the table below, you can see how prize money has increased significantly over the years.

Year Gentlemen’s Singles Gentlemen’s Doubles (pair) Ladies’ Singles Ladies’ Doubles (pair) Mixed Doubles (pair) Total for meeting
1968 2,000 800 750 500 450 26,150
1969 3,000 1,000 1,500 600 500 33,370
1970 3,000 1,000 1,500 600 500 41,650
1971 3,750 750 1,800 450 375 37,790
1972 5,000 1,000 3,000 600 500 50,330
1973 5,000 1,000 3,000 600 500 52,400
1974 10,000 2,000 7,000 1,200 1,000 97,100
1975 10,000 2,000 7,000 1,200 1,000 114,875
1976 12,500 3,000 10,000 2,400 2,000 157,740
1977 15,000 6,000 13,500 5,200 3,000 222,540
1978 19,000 7,500 17,100 6,500 4,000 279,023
1979 20,000 8,000 18,000 6,930 4,200 277,066
1980 20,000 8,400 18,000 7,276 4,420 293,464
1981 21,600 9,070 19,400 7,854 4,770 322,136
1982 41,667 16,666 37,500 14,450 6,750 593,366
1983 66,600 26,628 60,000 23,100 12,000 978,211
1984 100,000 40,000 90,000 34,700 18,000 1,461,896
1985 130,000 47,500 117,000 41,100 23,400 1,934,760
1986 140,000 48,500 126,000 42,060 25,200 2,119,780
1987 155,000 53,730 139,500 46,500 27,900 2,470,020
1988 165,000 57,200 148,500 49,500 29,700 2,612,126
1989 190,000 65,870 171,000 56,970 34,200 3,133,749
1990 230,000 94,230 207,000 81,510 40,000 3,819,730
1991 240,000 98,330 216,000 85,060 41,720 4,010,970
1992 265,000 108,570 240,000 93,920 46,070 4,416,820
1993 305,000 124,960 275,000 108,100 53,020 5,048,450
1994 345,000 141,350 310,000 122,200 60,000 5,682,170
1995 365,000 149,540 328,000 129,300 63,500 6,025,550
1996 392,500 160,810 353,000 139,040 68,280 6,465,910
1997 415,000 170,030 373,500 147,010 72,200 6,884,952
1998 435,000 178,220 391,500 154,160 75,700 7,207,590
1999 455,000 186,420 409,500 167,770 79,180 7,595,330
2000 477,500 195,630 430,000 176,070 83,100 8,056,480
2001 500,000 205,000 462,500 189,620 87,000 8,525,280
2002 525,000 210,000 486,000 194,250 88,500 8,825,320
2003 575,000 210,000 535,000 194,250 88,500 9,373,990
2004 602,500 215,000 560,500 200,000 90,000 9,707,280
2005 630,000 218,500 600,000 203,250 90,000 10,085,510
2006 655,000 220,690 625,000 205,280 90,000 10,378,710
2007 700,000 222,900 700,000 222,900 90,000 11,282,710
2008 750,000 230,000 750,000 230,000 92,000 11,812,000
2009 850,000 230,000 850,000 230,000 92,000 12,550,000
2010 1,000,000 240,000 1,000,000 240,000 92,000 13,725,000
2011 1,100,000 250,000 1,100,000 250,000 92,000 14,600,000
2012 1,150,000 260,000 1,150,000 260,000 92,000 16,060,000
2013 1,600,000 300,000 1,600,000 300,000 92,000 22,560,000
2014 1,760,000 325,000 1,760,000 325,000 96,000 25,000,000
2015 1,880,000 340,000 1,880,000 340,000 100,000 26,750,000
2016 2,000,000 350,000 2,000,000 350,000 100,000 28,100,000
2017 2,200,000 400,000 2,200,000 400,000 100,000 31,600,000
2018 2,250,000 450,000 2,250,000 450,000 110,000 34,000,000
2019 2,350,000 540,000 2,350,000 540,000 116,000 38,000,000
2021 1,700,000 480,000 1,700,000 480,000 100,000 35,016,000

As you can see in the table above, the prize money has increased much faster than inflation. The £2,000 paid to the men’s singles winner is worth £27,999.07 when accounting for inflation, much lower than the £2,000,000 paid to last year’s winner.

British Wimbledon winners

A fascinating history of British triumphs at Wimbledon reveals that 29 unique British champions have claimed a total of 69 singles titles.

The open era has seen three formidable British talents emerge victorious in singles championships, with Ann Haydon-Jones securing victory in 1969, Virginia Wade claiming the title in 1977 to become ladies Wimbledon winners. The indomitable Andy Murray reigning supreme in both 2013 and 2016 and last British winner of Wimbledon.

Digging deeper into Wimbledon’s rich past, 12 players in women’s singles and 14 in men’s singles were crowned champions during the cherished amateur period.

Winner Titles Year(s)
William Renshaw 7 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889
Laurence Doherty 5 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1906
Reginald Doherty 4 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900
Fred Perry 3 1934, 1935, 1936
Arthur Gore 3 1901, 1908, 1909
Wilfred Baddeley 3 1891, 1892, 1895
Joshua Pim 2 1893, 1894
John Hartley 2 1879, 1880
Harold Mahony 1 1896
Willoughby Hamilton 1 1890
Ernest Renshaw 1 1888
Herbert Lawford 1 1887
Frank Hadow 1 1878
Spencer Gore 1 1877

In men’s doubles, British Wimbledon winners have contributed to an impressive 33 championship titles. Among these, only Jonathan Marry has achieved this feat during the open era.

Remarkably, 10 British winners of Wimbledon have been doubles teams that have seized victory, all of whom took part in the the amateur era.

Lastly, British players have been integral to a combined 20 mixed doubles triumphs, with an even split between the open and amateur periods.

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