WIMBLEDON: Top five youngest players to defend Wimbledon title ft. Carlos Alcaraz, Bjorn Borg and more

 

Top five youngest players to defend Wimbledon title ft. Carlos Alcaraz, Bjorn Borg and more
Published at :
July 18, 2024 at 8:52 AM
Modified at :
July 18, 2024 at 8:52 AM
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Aniruddh Seshadri

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Carlos Alcaraz became the third-youngest player to defend Wimbledon title.
Carlos Alcaraz became only the ninth men’s singles player to successfully defend the Wimbledon title after beating 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to lift the Wimbledon 2024 title. Alcaraz, who won his first-ever Wimbledon title in 2023, beat the Serbian in just two hours and 30 minutes and in straight sets to claim his second Wimbledon and fourth overall Grand Slam.

He joined the likes of tennis greats Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic among others to successfully retain the men’s singles title. Only nine men in history have managed to successfully hold on to the title. Apart from the aforementioned four, the others are — John Newcombe, John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Pete Sampras.

In a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon final, Alcaraz once again came up triumphs against Djokovic, beating the seven-time Wimbledon Champion 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(4) to write his name into history. Apart from being part of the revered nine, the Spaniard is also the third youngest-ever to retain the men’s singles title at the All England Tennis Club.

On this record-breaking day, let’s have a look at the top five youngest players to defend the Wimbledon title.

Youngest players to defend Wimbledon men’s singles title
5. Roger Federer
Roger Federer, the Swiss Legend won his first Wimbledon title in 2003 defeating Mark Philippoussis in straight sets, thereby embarking an incredible love story with the Championship. This was the 21-year-old’s first major Grand Slam win, and hence many refer to this victory as the beginning of a new era in tennis.

The subsequent year, he staged an incredible comeback from a set down and beat Andy Roddick in the final to defend his Wimbledon title. His streak of five consecutive Wimbledon wins was eventually broken in 2008 by the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal. Federer went on to become the most successful men’s Wimbledon champion, winning the championship eight times. He is closely followed by Sampras and Djokovic, who have each won seven titles.

4. Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam champion won his first Wimbledon title in 1993 after defeating Jim Courier in the final. The former American tennis star won six more grass court Grand Slams between 1994 and 2000.

In the 1994 Wimbledon final, the 22-year-old, showcased his dominant serve and all-court prowess, defeating Goran Ivanišević in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6, 6-0 to defend his Wimbledon title. The former American World Number #1 was undeniably the best tennis player in the world from 1990 until 1999.