The pinnacle of
the tennis season is almost upon us Wimbledon. Held at the All England
Club in London since 1877, its the oldest tennis tournament in the world
and one that all players wish to win during their career. For some, even making
a final or semi-final is an absolute dream; while others have been fortunate to
win the championship on multiple occasions.
Betfair
have all the latest odds ahead of this years event in SW19; but here, we
take a look back at three of the most memorable finals since the turn of the
century.
2008: Rafael Nadal defeated
Roger Federer (6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5-7), 6-7(8-10), 9-7)
Dubbed the
greatest Wimbledon final ever, starring two greats of the
game, the 2008 final between Spains Rafael Nadal and Swiss ace Roger
Federer is the longest final to date. The five-set thriller was played out on
Centre Court for four hours and 48 minutes.
Nadal won both the first two
sets, before rain stopped play with Federer leading in the third, 5-4. After an
80-minute break due to conditions, Federer hit back and won the set, before
also going on to win the fourth. Rain delayed play for a second time and it
looked likely that the match may be suspended until the following day. However,
the deciding set was played out and while at one point, Federer was two points
away from securing his sixth successive Wimbledon title, Nadal held serve and
eventually broke serve, winning the final set 9-7.
Interestingly,
Federer and Nadal havent played each other in a Wimbledon final since. It
may have been over a decade ago now, but its
highly regarded as the best tennis match of all-time, while
also being the highlight of a long-standing rivalry which continues to dominate
tennis today.
2005: Venus Williams
defeated Lindsay Davenport (4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 9-7)
It was and still
is, the longest womens singles final to date, where Venus Williams took
the plaudits after a thrilling encounter against Lindsay Davenport. Having
previously won back-to-back championships in 2000 and 2001, Williams had
slipped down the rankings and was in the midst of a four-year Grand Slam
drought. She went into the tournament as the 14th seed, while opponent
Davenport was world number 1, despite not winning a major in five years,
herself.
Both women had injuries to contend with, but the match
didnt look like itd be memorable to begin with especially
when Davenport took the first set fairly easily. The second set was a much
tighter affair, with Williams edging it going into the tiebreak. The drama
unfolded in the final set, with Davenport making the breakthrough to lead 4-2,
before leaving the court for treatment on her back. On her return, Davenport
was playing for match point, but Williams turned it around, serving to stay in
the game on three occasions. In the sets 16th game, Williams won her
third Wimbledon title.
2001: Goran
Ivanievic defeated Pat Rafter (6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6,
9-7)
Croatias Goran Ivanievic made history in 2001,
not only becoming the first unseeded player since Boris Becker in 1985 to win
the Wimbledon title, but also becoming the first wildcard to win a Grand Slam.
It wasnt the first time that Ivanievic has made a final though,
hed managed that three times in the 90s (losing to Andre Agassi in
1992, and Pete Sampras in 1994 and 1998). He faced the number three seed,
Australias Pat Rafter, who had beaten Agassi in his semi-final.
It
was a closely-fought final, with the ascendancy going back and forth in each
players favour, much like a tennis rally. With the first four sets shared
between them, it went down to a fifth and final set. Rafter had managed to save
three match points, before his resolve gave in and Ivanievic won the
final set 9-7. As well as the result, the match was remembered for its carnival
like atmosphere very unlike Wimbledon. With the Croats and Aussies in
good voice, the
BBC called it: the most raucous crowd a Wimbledon final
has ever seen. |