The Top Ten Wimbledon Tennis Players of All Time

Top 5 female Wimbledon players

• Venus Williams – The Williams sisters have enjoyed plenty of success at Wimbledon, and where one is the other is not far behind. Venus Williams was the spearhead of a new generation of female tennis, bringing the sport the strength and agility not seen in the women’s game before. She has won five Wimbledon singles championships between 2000 and 2008, and six doubles titles with her sister between 2000 and 2016. Williams is incredibly adept on the grass, and uses her wingspan and aggression to give her the edge over her opponents. Her power and domination has brought about a new era for female tennis, forcing many players to up their game.
• Billie Jean King – A great ambassador for female tennis, Billie Jean King made Wimbledon her stomping ground for almost a decade. She dominated the singles scene in her prime, winning a total of 6 Wimbledon titles between 1966 and 1975. King is one of the few to thrive in both the amatuer and open eras, proving that she was well up to the task of facing the pressures of a more competitive, financially lucrative tournament scene. Her famous ‘battle of the sexes’ win over Bobby Riggs turned King into one of the first female tennis ‘superstars’, but she didn’t let the status get to her when it came to competing at Wimbledon. She won her final singles title two years later, while enjoying mixed doubles success in 1974 and her final women’s doubles title in 1979, making a career total of ten doubles and four mixed doubles Wimbledon titles; a testament to her longevity and ferocious talent.

• Serena Williams – Like her sister, Serena helped thrust the world of tennis into a new era. She now has seven Wimbledon singles titles to her name, won between 2002 and this year’s tournament, three of which came after victories over her sister, Venus. The sisters have seen a hugely competitive rivalry at Wimbledon, facing each other six times in singles competition with Venus only managing to best her younger sister twice at the tournament. Serena became the oldest woman in the open era to win the singles title, and she is the current world number 1. Her staying power and incredible talent has cemented Serena as one of the all time greats, and her displays at Wimbledon are among her, and the tournament’s, best.

• Steffi Graf – Germany’s most successful tennis player, Graf has won 22 grand slam singles titles (previously the most of any player in the open era until Serena Williams’ 2016 success), seven of which came at Wimbledon between 1988 and 1996, only missing out on the title in 1990 and 1994. Her dominance during that era is unquestionable, and while she didn’t enjoy any prolific doubles success, it’s her dominance in the singles competition that makes her one of Wimbledon’s greatest performers.

• Martina Navratilova – Billie Jean King dubbed Navratilova as “the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who’s ever lived”. High praise indeed from another all time great. Martina Navratilova appeared in twelve total Wimbledon singles finals, winning nine times between 1978 and 1990 and appearing in nine consecutive finals from 1982 all the way through to 1990. Unlike Graf, Navratilova enjoyed ample doubles success at the tournament, winning 11 total doubles titles between 1976 and 2003. Her longevity is remarkable, with three and a half decades of appearances at the tournament. It takes a special player to trump the dominance of Steffi Graf, but Martina Navratilova is that special. Her domination during her prime is unparalleled, and unlikely to ever be matched.

Top 5 male Wimbledon players

• John McEnroe – One of the most controversial figures in Wimbledon history, McEnroe definitely created a show on centre court. Tantrums and rants aside, he was also one of the finest players to compete at the tournament. While he only holds three singles titles – won between 1981 and 1984 – his style on the court is something to behold. He put an end to Björn Borg’s five year reign as Wimbledon champion in 1981, sweet revenge for his loss the previous year in one of Wimbledon’s greatest ever matches.
• Boris Becker – Boris Becker’s first Wimbledon win is probably his most impressive and stands today as a defining moment in a great career. Becker claimed the title in 1985 as an unseeded 17 year old. He became the youngest player to win the event and, to prove it was no fluke, he won it again the next year when he was 18. His third and final title came in 1989, and while he may have peaked at a young age, his success at the tournament is still vastly impressive. Wimbledon is where Becker made his mark, and it’s where he has made his home since. He is regularly featured as a BBC Wimbledon commentator, becoming a welcome part of the tournament to this day.

• Björn Borg – For a relatively short career, Björn Borg made his mark as one of the best players in the world. He dominated at Wimbledon for five straight years, claiming the title from 1976 through to 1980. He was thwarted from a sixth victory by John McEnroe in 1981, which marked Borg’s final appearance at the tournament – he retired from the sport in 1983, at only 26 years old. His short, unsuccessful attempt at a comeback did nothing to mar his career; his match with McEnroe in 1980, Borg’s last Wimbledon crown, remains on of the greatest matches in the tournament’s history, and caps a dominant period where Borg established himself as one of the greatest players of all time.

• Pete Sampras – The U.S.A’s most successful tennis player, Pete Sampras lost only one match in in eight year spell at Wimbledon, winning every tournament from 1993 to 2000 save for 1996 where he exited in the quarter finals. Sampras had a dominating style of play, a powerful, precise serve – which earned him the nickname ‘Pistol Pete’ – and an ability to put his opponents immediately on the defensive which made him an incredibly difficult opponent to cope with. His prowess on the grass is unquestionable, and only surpassed by one man – the same man who defeated Sampras in his penultimate Wimbledon appearance in 2001, just a year after his championship win.

• Roger Federer – Roger Federer has become the face of tennis. A role model for fans of all ages, he has been a captivating figure on the grass courts of Wimbledon for many years. Widely recognised as the greatest player of all time, his ability on the court is majestic and so is his Wimbledon record. He has claimed seven titles, five of which came consecutively between 2003 and 2007, and has appeared in the final a further three times. Although Federer had a disappointing tournament this year, being knocked out in the semifinals, at nearly 35 years old he is still undoubtedly one of the best. He’ll certainly look to bounce back when Wimbledon rolls around next year, and you can never count Federer out when he takes to the grass. Rest assured that all eyes will be on him, if only because it’s hard to watch anything else when Roger Federer takes to the court.