Wimbledon: Top five greatest men’s singles finals of all time
Over the years, Wimbledon has witnessed some of the finest men’s singles finals.
As Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz takes on Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon 2024 final on Sunday, Sportstar takes a look at five of the most epic summit clashes at the grass Major.
1980: Bjorn Borg beat John McEnroe 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7(16), 8–6
The fourth set tie-break in the 1980 men’s final was a classic, with every point shifting its importance from being match-point for Borg and set-point for McEnroe.
Borg’s stamina saw him through the final set, with the overwhelming effect of the tie-break spilling over to the fifth for McEnroe and the Swede won 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(16), 8-6.
2008: Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5), 6–7(8), 9–7
There were two rain interruptions, one of more than an hour, the second of less than half an hour, but the pulse of the 2008 final was unrelenting. It might have gone either way in the fifth.
Finally, in what remained of the light at quarter past nine, Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9–7 to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back.
2009: Roger Federer beat Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6(6), 7–6(5), 3–6, 16–14
Switzerland’s Roger Federer (left) holds his winners trophy and USA’s Andy Roddick (right) holds his runner-up plate after the Wimbledon final in London on July 5, 2009.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Switzerland’s Roger Federer (left) holds his winners trophy and USA’s Andy Roddick (right) holds his runner-up plate after the Wimbledon final in London on July 5, 2009.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
It certainly wasn’t vintage Federer. He could not find a way through on the Roddick serve until the match’s denouement, when the American cracked. But what a startling match it proved to be, with Roddick playing as well as he ever would at Wimbledon yet still finding his best was not enough to master the master.
A third final defeat to Federer would be his last grand slam title match, but Roddick came so close, despairingly so as the marathon fifth set became unbearably tense, that it was impossible not to sympathise. For Federer, it was a record-breaking 15th grand slam win, beating Sampras’ haul.
2019: Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 7–6(5), 1–6, 7–6(4), 4–6, 13–12(3)
In the battle of wills that lasted four hours and 55 minutes, Djokovic rose from the dead during the nearly two-hour final set, saving two match-points with Federer serving at 8-7.
Then at 11-11, he fended off two break points — the second with a daring charge to the net — to drag the set to the newly introduced fifth-set tiebreaker. Once there, it seemed like familiar territory, for he had won the two early tiebreakers, as he scampered home losing just three points.
2023: Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic 1–6, 7–6(6), 1–6, 3–6, 6–4
Alcaraz put aside a poor start and surged down the stretch to end Djokovic’s 34-match winning streak at the All England Club by edging him 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in an engaging, back-and-forth final.
The No. 1-ranked Alcaraz prevented No. 2 Djokovic from collecting what would have been a record-tying eighth title, and fifth in a row, at the grass-court tournament.