Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Champions of Open Era

The Wimbledon Championships or simply Wimbledon is the oldest and the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. It has been held at the All England Club in London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Since the Australian Open shifted to hard court in 1988, Wimbledon is the only Major still played on grass, the game’s original surface, which gave the game its original name of “lawn tennis”.

The first open tournament was the British Hard Courts at Bournemouth in April 1968, where the champions were Ken Rosewall and Virginia Wade. The first open Wimbledon was a joyous occasion, as many past champions who had been stripped of membership in the All England Club when they turned professional were welcomed back. The total prize money was £26,150 ($62,760), of which £2,000 went to men’s singles champion Rod Laver and £750 went to women’s singles winner Billie Jean King. The 2014 prize money is £1,760,000 for the Gentlemen’s and Ladies ‘Singles winner, £325,000 for the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Doubles winners and £96,000 for the Mixed Doubles winners. The total prize money awarded is £25,000,000 up 10.8% from the £22,560,000 in 2013.

The tournament takes place over two weeks in late June and early July, closing with the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Final, scheduled for the second Saturday and Sunday respectively.

In the Open Era, since the inclusion of professional tennis players in 1968, Pete Sampras (1993–1995, 1997–2000) and Roger Federer (2003–2007, 2009, 2012) co-hold the record for most victories with seven. Björn Borg (1976–1980) and Roger Federer (2003–2007) co-hold the record for most consecutive victories with five. Here is the full list of Wimbledon gentlemen’s singles champions of open era.

List of Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Singles Champions of Open Era.