The Championships at Wimbledon is the oldest tournament in the world and has been held at its current location, at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, since 1877. The tournament is held for two weeks each summer during the end of June and the beginning of July. It is the third Grand Slam on the pro tennis calendar, the only one held on grass courts, and it holds the honor of remaining the most prestigious title that a player can win. Five major events are contested each year, which are men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. Four junior and four invitation events are also held every year. Wimbledon is the only remaining pro tournament that requires players to wear predominately white clothing.
The Longest Match
The longest match ever played during Wimbledon took place during the first round of the 2010 Championships, where American John Isner faced off against France's Nicolas Mahut for 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days. Isner won the match, defeating Mahut with an outstanding score of 70-68 in the fifth set. Isner was able to break Mahut's serve in the final game, giving him the victory, in what was the only service break in the set and only the second break in the entire match.
Greatest Match Ever
The greatest match ever, according to many tennis fans, professionals and commentators, took place at Wimbledon during the 2008 Championships, when Spain's Rafael Nadal ended Switzerland's Roger Federer's five-year streak for the championship. The match went five sets, with a final score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. The match took what is considered to be one of the best rivalries in men's tennis, by two of the best players that the sport has ever seen, to a new level when Federer lost his first match on grass since 2002. Nadal was the first man to win back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon titles since Bjorn Borg did so in 1980.
Most Singles Titles, Men
American Pete Sampras holds the record for the most singles titles on the men's pro tour with seven. Sampras has 14 Grand Slam titles in all. Though Sampras also won numerous Australian Open and U.S. Open championships, he was most comfortable on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Always happy to put the tenuous clay season behind him, his spirits greatly lifted when arriving in London from Paris and the French Open, which always ended in disappointment for him.
Most Singles Titles, Women
Czech-turned-American Martina Navratilova holds the record on the women's pro tour for the most Wimbledon championships with nine. Navratilova played in the singles draw for more than three decades, winning her first Wimbledon championship in 1978 and her last in 1990. She was also a runner-up three times and won numerous doubles and mixed doubles championships.
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