2024-07-13 00:10:01
Carlos Alcaraz could join an elite group this weekend.
The 21-year-old phenom defeated Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon men’s singles semifinals Friday. He’ll face the winner of the Novak Djokovic/Lorenzo Musetti matchup for a chance to repeat as Wimbledon champion.
Players and teams trying to run it back have to deal with heightened expectations, the fatigue of a deep title run and a crowd of motivated competitors who’ve set their sights on the throne. Despite that, a number of incredible tennis players have managed to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles — and some went on runs that made it difficult to imagine anyone else ever knocking them off.
Could Alcaraz put his name in the record books alongside them? Here’s a list of tennis players in the Open era (since 1968) who won back-to-back Wimbledons.
Rod Laver (1968-69)
Laver also won back-to-back Wimbledons in 1961 and 1962, during the Amateur era. His 1969 title was particularly special, as it was part of what remains the only Grand Slam in a calendar year by a men’s singles competitor.
John Newcombe (1970-71)
Newcombe was the runner-up to his Australian countryman Laver, but broke through in 1970 for his own title. Laver failed to make the semifinals in both of Newcombe’s wins, denying fans an opportunity to see a title rematch.
Billie Jean King (1972-73)
King won three consecutive Wimbledons from 1966 to ’68, but the first two were in the Amateur era. Her 1972 victory against Evonne Goolagong in the final denied Goolagong her own opportunity to become a repeat champion.
Bjorn Borg (1976-80)
In the late 1970s, there was no way to get past Bjorn Borg at Wimbledon. The Swede won an astounding five consecutive Wimbledon titles, beating an array of tennis legends in the process. Borg defeated Ilie Năstase, John McEnroe, Roscoe Tanner and Jimmy Connors (twice) during his epic run.
Not content with a single back-to-back Wimbledon run, Navratilova started a second one in 1982-83 … and kept going. She won six consecutive Wimbledons in the mid-1980s, one of the most dominant runs at a single tournament ever. During her two runs, Navratilova met and defeated Chris Evert in the final five times.
John McEnroe (1983-84)
McEnroe also won the 1981 contest and nearly made it a four-peat. Jimmy Connors stood in his way in 1982, however, defeating him in an achingly close five-set marathon. McEnroe got his revenge in 1983, however, sweeping Connors in straight sets in the final 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
Boris Becker (1985-86)
What a way to start off a career. Just a year after turning pro, Becker won his first major title at Wimbledon. He followed it up with his second just a year later, defeating Ivan Lendl in straight sets.
Steffi Graf (1988-89, 1991-93, 1995-96)
It’s a testament to Graf’s longevity that she was able to defend her Wimbledon title in three separate eras of her career. Her first back-to-back titles were both against Navratilova, while her final defenses were both against Arantxa Sánchez Vicario.
Pete Sampras (1993-95, 1997-2000)
Sampras very nearly won eight straight Wimbledon titles. The one fly in the ointment? A quarterfinals loss to Richard Krajicek in 1996. Krajicek would go on to win Wimbledon that year for his only major title.
The one woman standing in the way of Venus winning four consecutive Wimbledon titles? Her sister Serena, who beat her in 2002 and 2003. Venus would beat Serena in straight sets in 2008, however, securing her second back-to-back Wimbledon title defense.
Serena’s first and last Wimbledon titles came 14 years apart, a symbol of her absolute dominance in the women’s game. In addition to her victories over her sister Venus in 2002 and 2003, she also defeated her to start off her second back-to-back title run in 2009.
For most of the 2000s, the only person who could stop Roger Federer at Wimbledon was Rafael Nadal. Nadal beat him in 2008, spoiling a chance for Federer to win six consecutive Wimbledon titles. He’d have to settle for five, with additional ones in 2009, 2012 and 2017.
Novak Djokovic (2014-15, 2018-19, 2021-22)
Djokovic’s second Wimbledon title defense run was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the 2020 contest. Otherwise, there’s a very real chance he could have won five straight.
