Forget the strawberries and cream. What makes the finals at Wimbledon special is the tennis, no matter what food is consumed. And in the century-plus the event has been held, some finals stand out whether for the excitement or the storyline.
10. Venus Williams beats Marion Bartoli, 2007
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The match itself was ho-hum — Williams won, 6-4, 6-1. But Williams became the lowest seeded (31st) woman to win the event. She also was recovering from a wrist injury and she rallied from deep deficits in both the first and third rounds to advance.
9. Virginia Wade beats Betty Stove, 1977
Wade is the last Britain – male or female – to win the event. She did so at the age of 31 in her 17th appearance here. The Queen of England attended the event for the first time in 25 years, watching Wade win, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
8. Conchita Martinez beats Martina Navratilova, 1994
Navratilova, the nine-time champion, was 37 years old and had no business advancing thus far. But she did. The match went three sets — 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 — but was more memorable for the ovation Navratilova received after her defeat.
7. Goran Ivanisevic beats Pat Rafter, 2001
Ivanisevic was 29 and ranked 125th in the world. And he had lost three times in the finals. But he beat Britain’s Tim Henman in the semifinals and then dispatched Rafter, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-6 (9-7), to become the first wildcard ever to win the event.
6. Steffi Graf beats Jana Novotna, 1993
Novotna was a point away from taking a 5-1 lead in the third set. But Graf won the point and eventually the match, 6-4 – after dropping the second set 1-6. Novotna could not contain her emotion afterwards. It was Graf’s fifth Wimbledon title.
5. Andre Agassi beats Goran Ivanisevic, 1992
Agassi did not like playing at stuffy Wimbledon and felt his baseline game did not suit the grass courts. But he proved himself and many others wrong by beating Ivanisevic, 6-7 (8-10), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.
4. Martina Navratilova beats Chris Evert, 1978
Hard to imagine a better rivalry in women’s tennis as this was one of 60 times they met in a finals. Evert jumped out top, winning the first set, 6-2. But Navratilova pounced back to win the final two sets, 6-4, 7-5.
3. Arthur Ashe beats Jimmy Connors, 1975
The historical significance makes this noteworthy as Ashe became the first black man to win the singles title. It was not a stirring match as he won 6-1, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4. But the triumph lingers today for many.
2. Bjorn Borg beats John McEnroe, 1980
A nearly four-hour epic match concluded with Borg on his knees, arms raised and McEnroe exhausted and dejected lying face-down on the ground. Borg won, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (18-16), 8-6. This was Borg’s 35th straight singles win at Wimbledon.
1. Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer, 2008
After this match ended, many called it the best final ever — and not just at Wimbledon. Nadal ended Federer’s streak of five straight Wimbledon titles to win his second straight major. Nadal won, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7.
