(Reuters) – Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic on Sunday to become the first player outside the ‘Big Four’ (Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray) to win Wimbledon since 2002, with the result touted as the beginning of a new era for men’s tennis.
Following are five landmark matches from Wimbledon which signalled generational shifts in the sport:
1974 – CONNORS V ROSEWALL
Ken Rosewall had already cemented his place as one of the greats of the sport when he reached the final of Wimbledon in 1974 at the age of 39, where he was looking to add an elusive grasscourt title to his eight Grand Slam trophies.
But Rosewall faced 22-year-old American Jimmy Connors, who won 6-1 6-1 6-4 before matching the Australian’s Grand Slam haul with a string of triumphs over the next few years.
1981 – MCENROE V BORG
Ice-cool Swede Bjorn Borg dominated Wimbledon as he won five straight titles from 1976 to 1980 but that run was brought to an end by young upstart John McEnroe in 1981.
Having lost to Borg in the epic 1980 final, the fiery American got his revenge the next year by claiming the first of his three Wimbledon titles with a 4-6 7-6(1) 7-6(4) 6-4 win.
2001 – FEDERER V SAMPRAS
A little-known Federer announced himself to the world by ending Pete Sampras’s 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon in the fourth round in 2001.
At the time of the defeat, Sampras was the record Grand Slam champion with 13 titles.
Sampras had won Wimbledon four times in a row, losing once in eight years, but the defeat by 19-year-old Federer halted his dominance at the tournament, with the American exiting in the second round the next year before calling time on his career.
2008 – NADAL V FEDERER
In 2008, Nadal snuffed out Federer’s bid for a sixth straight Wimbledon title with a marathon 6-4 6-4 6-7(5) 6-7(8) 9-7 victory.
The defeat also ended Federer’s hopes of bettering Borg’s run of five consecutive crowns but the Swiss great went on to win three more titles at the grasscourt Grand Slam, taking his tally to eight – a record that still stands.
The title was Nadal’s first Grand Slam outside of the French Open, with the Spaniard going on to claim 22 majors.
2023 – ALCARAZ V DJOKOVIC
Djokovic, who won the French Open last month to secure a record 23rd men’s major singles title and move clear of rival Nadal, went into the Wimbledon final hunting a fifth successive trophy at the All England Club.
However, the Serbian’s plans were derailed by world number one Alcaraz, with the young Spaniard claiming victory in a gripping five-set final that lasted nearly five hours.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
