The prestigious event has witnessed some splendid matches throughout the history of tennis. Therefore, there have been some skilled players who have achieved great feats in the championship. Therefore, today we will witness such champions who engraved their name in Wimbledon’s rich history.
10. Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is one of the most successful women players in the sport, who can forget her legendary match “Battle of Sexes” against the men’s tennis legend Bobby Riggs. She has lifted the trophy at all four majors and has lifted 39 Grand Slams in her career.
The American achieved most of her Grand Slam success at the grass-court of Wimbledon. She has lifted 12 major singles in the tournament. King further added 10 and 4 more Wimbledon titles from the doubles and mixed doubles. The former World No.1 is also a player who won Wimbledon in both the Amateur(2) and Open era(4).
Billie’s aggressive and quick hard-hitting style of playing was a perfect combo to dominate the grass-court of Wimbledon. She won against skillful players like Margaret Court, Maria Bueno, Chris Evert, and Evonne Goolagong Cawley. King’s 1975 Wimbledon victory gained the most attention, as it was her final win at a singles major, and also she took a short retirement from the singles division.
9. Suzanne Lenglen
Suzanne Lenglen, a great French player during the Amateur era whose dominance over the grass-court was absolute. The French claimed 21 Grand Slam but most of them are Wimbledon titles.
Lenglen claimed six Wimbledon titles and also another six from doubles and further adding three mix doubles title at Wimbledon. Lenglen won her maiden Wimbledon title in 1919, which was also her debut to the grass-court of the Grand Slam and also the longest final of that time. Following her maiden victory, Suzanne continued a five-year winning streak at Wimbledon.
The French great lost in 1924 Wimbledon, ending her winning streak. However, she won the 1925 Championship, claiming her sixth title at the British Grand Slam. There could have been more Wimbledon titles, but she retired from singles after 1926, as many claim her dispute with the Briton audience forced her retirement.
8. Dorothea Lambert Chambers
Dorothea Lambert Chambers won seven Wimbledon women’s titles in the Amateur era and her only Grand Slam titles throughout her career.
Chambers faced defeat at her debut at Wimbledon and only lifted her maiden title after three years. Her 1911 Wimbledon victory will never be forgotten as she became the first player in the history of tennis to win a Grand Slam singles final without losing a set, as she won against Dora Boothby with a score of 6-0, 6-0.
Dorothea lost her last two Wimbledon titles to Suzanne Lenglen. Further, their 1919 face-off was the longest final of that time and it was also the end of Dorothea’s dominance at Wimbledon.
7. Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf ranks third with the most number of major singles after Margaret Court and Serena Williams. She won 22 Grand Slam singles and seven of them are Wimbledon titles.
Graf won her maiden Wimbledon in 1988, and the same year she won the other three Grand Slams. Since then no other player, male or female, won all four majors in a single calendar year. Apart from the seven titles, Graf also has one Wimbledon doubles title.
Graf has appeared in nine Wimbledon finals and among which only lost twice. She lost the 1999 Grand Slam at the grass courts of Britain, where she lost against Lindsay Davenport for 4-6, 5-7. Further, the 1999 Wimbledon was also her final Grand Slam appearance.
Check out here Unbreakable records held by Steffi Graf
6. Serena Williams
Serena Williams is the most successful player of present times, who claimed 23 Grand Slam titles, the only player to hold so many single majors title in the Open era.
Among Williams’ 23 major titles, seven are just Wimbledon titles. Further, she’s the only other female other than #7 Steffi Graf to claim seven titles at Wimbledon in the Open era.
Williams claimed her first title in 2002 and the same year she also reached the WTA Ranking 1. Since then she went on winning six more Wimbledon titles and her latest one was in 2016. However, the current World No.8 is still playing and thus there is a possibility for her to bag more Wimbledon titles.
Must Read | Best women tennis players with most Grand Slams
5. William Renshaw
William Renshaw was a skillful British player during the 19th century. Renshaw was the first man in the history of tennis to bag seven Wimbledon singles titles prior to the emergence of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer,
The Briton legend only played in Wimbledon because back then there were only two major titles, US Open and Wimbledon. Renshaw won the British majors in six consecutive years, and to this date, no male player could break this record. Further, he appeared in Wimbledon doubles five-time partnering with his twin brother, Ernest Renshaw, and claimed the title in all their five appearances.
Renshaw dominated Wimbledon during those times without a doubt. As in his eight appearances in the major singles, the Briton only lost once in his last Grand Slam. The great player even became the first president of the Lawn Tennis Association. Therefore, the name William Renshaw is engraved in the rich history of Wimbledon and never be erased, even after centuries.
4. Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras, a great legend of the sport, has won seven Wimbledon titles, a record shared with William Renshaw and Roger Federer before Roger claimed his eighth Wimbledon title.
Sampras was known for his serve and volley style of play. However, his style didn’t favor all types of courts, as he never won a Grand Slam on the French clay-court. Although his shots gave him an upper hand in hard courts and absolutely dominated the grass court.
Sampras has seven appearances in the Wimbledon finals and never lost a final match. The American maestro took down then legends like Andre Agassi, Boris Becker and Jim Courier to lift his maiden trophy at Wimbledon. However, after his great run in 2000 and claiming the British Grand Slam title, the American failed to repeat the history in the next two years, losing in the early rounds.
Also Read | Roger Federer vs Pete Sampras
3. Helen Wills
Helen Wills is a pioneer in women’s tennis and her record 19 Grand Slam singles titles were unbeatable until Serena claimed her 20th major title at the 2015 Wimbledon.
Among Wills’ 19 major titles, eight of them are Wimbledon titles. Further, she was the first woman to win so many Wimbledon titles, and also the record remained unchanged in both men and women division during the Amateur era. However, during the Open era, Roger Federer equaled Helen's record and Martina Navratilova set a new record of nine Wimbledon titles.
Wills had 10 Wimbledon appearances and only failed twice. She lost the finals of her debut season against Kitty McKane. Further, her last failure on the grass court of the British Grand Slam was in her second appearance in 1926, when Wills left the tournament after the first round because of an appendectomy. Since her first two failures, the great American never failed again to lift the Wimbledon title.
Also Read | Best women's doubles tennis teams of all time
2. Roger Federer
Roger Federer has claimed eight Wimbledon titles so far.Federer is the greatest player of modern times and he has a record 20 singles Grand Slam titles. Further, he won his first major title in 2003 Wimbledon against Mark Philippoussis. The Swiss great is known for his fluid playing style, which gives him versatility in all types of courts. However, his mastery over the grass-court is unrivaled.
Roger Federer is not only aces for most Grand Slams but also no other male player has broken his record eight Wimbledon titles. However, the Swiss is still an active player and thus there are more opportunities for him to add more major titles to his trophy cabinet.
1. Martina Navratilova
Navratilova has claimed a record of 59 Grand Slams, which is still untouchable and not a single player is close enough to break this legendary record. Apart from this unbelievable record, the American legend also claimed nine Wimbledon singles titles, breaking the record of Helen Wills’ eight Wimbledon singles titles.
The American great has 12 appearances at the Wimbledon finals and only lost three of her finals. Further, she made it to the finals of the British Grand Slam for nine consecutive years. Apart from Martina’s singles success at Wimbledon, she also has seven and four more Wimbledon titles from the doubles and mixed doubles.
