List of Wimbledon gentlemen's singles champions

History

The Wimbledon Championships are played in the first two weeks of July (as of July 2017; prior to this, they were played in the last week of June and first week of July) and have chronologically been the third of the four Grand Slam tournaments of the tennis season since 1987. It was also cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Gentlemen's Singles' rules have undergone several changes since the first edition. From 1878 until 1921, the event started with a knockout phase, the All Comers' Singles, whose winner then faced the defending champion in a challenge round. The All Comers' winner was automatically awarded the title six times (1879, 1887, 1891, 1895, 1907, 1908) in the absence of the previous year's champion. The challenge round system was abolished with the 1922 edition. Since the first championships, all matches have been played at the best-of-five sets. Between 1877 and 1883, the winner of the next game at five games all took the set in every match except the All Comers' final, and the challenge round, which were won with six games and a two games advantage. All sets were decided in this advantage format from 1884 to 1970.

Since 1949, the Gentlemen's Singles champion has received a miniature replica of the event's trophy, a silver-gilt cup created in 1887 with the engraved inscription: "The All England Lawn Tennis Club Single Handed Champion of the World". New singles champions are traditionally elected honorary members of the AELTC by the club's committee. In 2017, the Gentlemen's Singles winner received prize money of £2,220,000.

In the Amateur Era, William Renshaw (1881–1886, 1889) holds the record for the most titles in the Gentlemen's Singles, winning Wimbledon seven times. Renshaw's wins, however, came within the challenge round format, and he won the event only twice after going through a complete draw. Renshaw also holds the record for most consecutive titles with six (from 1881 to 1886). The record for most consecutive and most wins post challenge round during the Amateur Era is Fred Perry with three (1934–1936). Rod Laver remains one of the most successful men to ever pick up a tennis racquet and having been runner-up in 1959 and 1960 he became Champion in 1961 and 1962 and was unable to compete from 1963-1967 inclusive as he had become a professional and only amateurs were allowed to compete before it was opened up in 1968. Laver won it again that year and 1969 also and twice completed all 4 Grand Slams in the same season (1962/1969).

In the Open Era, since the inclusion of professional tennis players in 1968, Roger Federer (2003–2007, 2009, 2012, 2017) holds the record for the most Gentlemen's Singles titles with eight. Björn Borg (1976–1980) and Roger Federer (2003–2007) share the record for most consecutive victories with five.

Federer reached 7 consecutive Wimbledon Finals (2003 – 09), an all-time record, surpassing the old record of 6 consecutive finals by Borg (1976–81) and in the process the Swede won 41 consecutive matches at Wimbledon.

This event was won without losing a single set in the entire tournament during the Open Era twice, in 1976 by Björn Borg and in 2017 by Roger Federer.

Roger Federer is the only player in history, in both the Amateur and Open Eras, to reach the Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles Final twelve times.

From 1993 to 2000, Pete Sampras reached the Wimbledon final 7 times out of 8 years, winning all 7 finals in which he competed. During that period, the only time he did not reach the final was in 1996, where he lost at the quarter final stage to eventual champion Richard Krajicek.

Champions

Amateur Era

Open Era

Statistics

Multiple champions

• Years in italic type denote titles defended in the challenge round.

Championships by country

Notes

References

;General

;Specific

References

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