Wimbledon 2020: the most coveted title in tennis

First held in 1877, Wimbledon is the oldest and most prestigious tournament in tennis. Along with the French Open, the US Open and the Australian Open, Wimbledon is one of the sport's Grand Slam events and, with top ranking points and prize money (as well as a place in history) at stake, is the most coveted trophy in tennis. 

William Renshaw won the championships seven times (including five consecutive titles) during the amateur era, while in the Open era (since 1968) Roger Federer holds the record for the most Wimbledon titles having won the tournament eight times (and reached a record 11 finals). American Pete Sampras won seven titles, while Novak Djokovic is Federer's closest rival among those still playing; with four titles. Britain's Andy Murray (2013, 2016) has two Wimbledon titles.

Taking place over two weeks in early-mid July, Wimbledon is the premier event of the tennis calendar; so make sure you don't miss out! Buy Wimbledon tennis tickets now at StubHub and see the action live on Centre Court.

Wimbledon's Courts

With 18 grass courts, eight clay courts and 2 acrylic, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (the home of Wimbledon) is a truly extensive area. The most iconic court is, of course, Centre Court; the home of Wimbledon's top matches. Catering to roughly 16,000 fans, the venue installed a retractable roof back in 2009, meaning the days of matches being rained off is no longer an issue.

Alongside the Centre Court, is No. 1 Court. While not as big as Centre, Court One can still seat over 11,000 fans and has even hosted the occasional Davis Cup. The two courts are usually used solely for Wimbledon though, with the rest of the year being spent maintaining the venue in preparation for the grand slam tournament. Make sure you’re there to see the giants of the tennis world go head-to-head by getting your Wimbledon 2019 tickets at StubHub UK today.

Wimbledon's glorious past

Since Wimbledon turned professional in 1968, there have been 21 different champions. The first was Australian Rod Laver, who beat compatriot Tony Roach (6-3, 6-4, 6-2) in the inaugural final. In fact, Australians won the first four titles of the Open Era; with Laver retaining it the following year (beating John Newcombe in the final) before defeated finalist Newcombe won the following two titles in 1969 and 1970.

The USA's Stan Smith broke the Aussie stronghold as Americans took three of the next four Wimbledon titles, before Bjorn Borg dominated between 1976-1980; winning a joint record five consecutive championships. The 1980s were ruled first by John McEnroe – who won three titles and appeared in five consecutive finals – before Boris Becker appeared in six of the next seven finals between 1985 and 1991 (winning three). With his victory in 1985, Becker became first unseeded player and the first German to win the Wimbledon singles title, while at age 17 he was the youngest player to win the championships (a record that still stands today). 

Becker was beaten by fellow countryman Michael Stich in 1991 (the last German to win the title) before another period of American dominance followed throughout the decade. Andre Agassi beat Croatian Goran Ivanišević in 1992, before Pete Sampras won seven of the next eight tournaments; his supremacy broken only by Richard Krajicek in 1996 (the only Dutchman to have won Wimbledon). Sampras won the first title of the new millennium, before Croatian Goran Ivanisevic and another Aussie, Lleyton Hewitt, took the next two titles.

Much in the same way that Sampras had owned the 90s, Roger Federer emerged to make the early-mid 2000s his. The Swiss won five titles in a row between 2003 and 2007, before finally losing what is widely regarded as Wimbledon's greatest ever final against Rafael Nadal in 2008. The ten years since have come to be dominated by not one, but four, players. The so-called big four of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have won the last sixteen Wimbledon championships between them and 48 of the last 54 Grand Slam titles. 

The current champion is Novak Djokovic, who beat debut finalist Roger Federer to win his fifth title. Who will be crowned champion in 2020? Buy Wimbledon tickets now at StubHub and find out live. 

More live tennis tickets for Wimbledon fans

After buying Wimbledon tickets at StubHub UK, check out listings for the sport's other top events, including the Queen's Club Championships and the Nitto ATP Finals.