Only four players, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, have won the Wimbledon men's singles Championships during the last 20 years and just two of them, Djokovic and Murray, will be in the field for the 2023 event.
Djokovic has dominated the tournament in recent years. He is striving for a fifth successive Wimbledon victory and an eighth in total which would draw him level with Federer as the joint-most decorated player in the event's history and take him two clear of Nadal in the all-time Grand Slam winners tally (currently 23 to 22 in his favour).
Federer made the last of 22 Wimbledon appearances in 2021 – reaching the quarter-finals – while Nadal has been ruled out this year after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his injured left hip.
Murray made the last of his Wimbledon final appearances in 2016 – beating Milos Raonic – but he continues to compete and is 33/1 to triumph this year. Djokovic is the red hot 8/11 favourite.
What | Wimbledon 2023 |
Where | All England Club, London, England |
When | Monday 3rd July - Sunday 16th July, 2023 |
How to watch | BBC, Eurosport or bet365 Sports Live Streaming |
Odds | Men's outright: Novak Djokovic 1/1, Carlos Alcaraz 4/1, Matteo Berrettini 8/1, Daniil Medvedev 8/1 |
Four players have landed at least five Wimbledon singles titles since the beginning of the Open era (1968), starting with Bjorn Borg, who burst onto the scene with his victory over Ilie Nastase in the 1976 final.
The Swede had just turned 20 when he won the tournament for the first time and he would not lose his next Wimbledon match until the 1981 final when succumbing to John McEnroe.
Borg was 25 year-old, five-times Wimbledon winner at the time of his loss to McEnroe but he soon retired from competition and would never play another match at the All England Club.
Three-times winner McEnroe remains a Wimbledon legend but his compatriot, Pete Sampras, is the most successful American in the tournament's history, lifting the trophy seven times between 1993 and 2000.
Sampras was the number one seed for the 2001 event but he lost in the fourth round to a 19-year-old Federer, signalling the end of an era and heralding the beginning of something new.
Federer was a beaten quarter-finalist that year, losing out to Tim Henman, but he was crowned the champion two years later, defeating Mark Philippousis in the 2003 final, and went on to land eight Wimbledon singles titles.
The Swiss is assured of his place in Wimbledon folklore but his status as the tournament's most successful player is coming under threat.
Djokovic won the first of seven Wimbledon titles in 2011, defeating Nadal in the final, and the Serbian has been unstoppable in recent years.
Three of Djokovic's triumphs came after victories over Federer, including the 2019 final which was secured by an astonishing 7-6 1-6 7-6 4-6 13-12 scoreline.
Borg played his last match at Wimbledon at the age of 25 but several modern day players are performing at a high level well into their thirties including Djokovic and Murray, who are only two former champions in the 2023 field.
Djokovic landed his first Wimbledon title at the age of 24 and four of his seven successes have come since passing thirty.
The Serbian has not lost at Wimbledon since his 2017 quarter-final against Tomas Berdych when an injury forced him to retire in the early stages of the second set.
Djokovic has racked up 28 successive match wins at Wimbledon and has just edged ahead of Nadal on the total Grand Slam count (23 to 22) after overcoming Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open.
And, with Nadal expected to be out of action until 2024, the 36-year-old Serbian will be looking to extend his advantage and strengthen his claims to being recognised as the greatest male player of all time.
The only player to defeat Djokovic in a Wimbledon final was Murray, who triumphed 6-4 7-5 6-4 in 2013 to secure the first of two Wimbledon singles titles.
Murray won the event again in 2016 but he was a quarter-final loser to Sam Querrey the following year and his troublesome hip required surgery in January 2018, ending his spell towards the top end of the men's game.
The Scot has featured in ten Grand Slams since undergoing the first of two hip surgeries and has never advanced past the third round.
However, the 36-year-old’s build up to this year's Wimbledon has featured Challenger title wins at Surbiton and Nottingham and he will be hoping for perhaps one more decent run at the All England Club.
Year | Winner | Runner-up |
1968 | Rod Laver | Tony Roche |
1969 | Rod Laver | John Newcombe |
1970 | John Newcombe | Ken Rosewall |
1971 | John Newcombe | Stan Smith |
1972 | Stan Smith | Ilie Năstase |
1973 | Jan Kodeš | Alex Metreveli |
1974 | Jimmy Connors | Ken Rosewall |
1975 | Arthur Ashe | Jimmy Connors |
1976 | Björn Borg | Ilie Năstase |
1977 | Björn Borg | Jimmy Connors |
1978 | Björn Borg | Jimmy Connors |
1979 | Björn Borg | Roscoe Tanner |
1980 | Björn Borg | John McEnroe |
1981 | John McEnroe | Björn Borg |
1982 | Jimmy Connors | John McEnroe |
1983 | John McEnroe | Chris Lewis |
1984 | John McEnroe | Jimmy Connors |
1985 | Boris Becker | Kevin Curren |
1986 | Boris Becker | Ivan Lendl |
1987 | Pat Cash | Ivan Lendl |
1988 | Stefan Edberg | Boris Becker |
1989 | Boris Becker | Stefan Edberg |
1990 | Stefan Edberg | Boris Becker |
1991 | Michael Stich | Boris Becker |
1992 | Andre Agassi | Goran Ivanišević |
1993 | Pete Sampras | Jim Courier |
1994 | Pete Sampras | Goran Ivanišević |
1995 | Pete Sampras | Boris Becker |
1996 | Richard Krajicek | MaliVai Washington |
1997 | Pete Sampras | Cédric Pioline |
1998 | Pete Sampras | Goran Ivanišević |
1999 | Pete Sampras | Andre Agassi |
2000 | Pete Sampras | Patrick Rafter |
2001 | Goran Ivanišević | Patrick Rafter |
2002 | Lleyton Hewitt | David Nalbandian |
2003 | Roger Federer | Mark Philippoussis |
2004 | Roger Federer | Andy Roddick |
2005 | Roger Federer | Andy Roddick |
2006 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal |
2007 | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal |
2008 | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer |
2009 | Roger Federer | Andy Roddick |
2010 | Rafael Nadal | Tomáš Berdych |
2011 | Novak Djokovic | Rafael Nadal |
2012 | Roger Federer | Andy Murray |
2013 | Andy Murray | Novak Djokovic |
2014 | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer |
2015 | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer |
2016 | Andy Murray | Milos Raonic |
2017 | Roger Federer | Marin Čilić |
2018 | Novak Djokovic | Kevin Anderson |
2019 | Novak Djokovic | Roger Federer |
2020 | No competition | |
2021 | Novak Djokovic | Matteo Berrettini |
2022 | Novak Djokovic | Nick Kyrgios |
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