We are almost there. The gardeners have made the finishing touches, the ball boys have been catechized (as if there were any need), in short the Wimbledon machine has been polished for the 2024 edition. The draw already promises suggestions and stories to tell, but predicting finalists this year is more complicated than usual. Of course, just say the word – final – and the emotions come back to the surface. Indelible memories of great champions. To refresh your memory we have chosen some of them, just to reconcile the eve (and sorry for those not mentioned). Here they are.
1980: Bjorn Borg b. John McEnroe 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7 (16), 8–6
They called it the match of the century. They made movies about it, they had already written and rewritten books about it. Borg and McEnroe were perfect antagonists: the ice-smooth baseline player, the fiery volleyer on the other side. Even if they had invented them, they couldn’t have done better than reality. The two of them and those wonderful (and very heavy) wooden rackets, with their white balls.
2001: Goran Ivanisevic b. Pat Rafter 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7
The craziest final, the one that made people shout “wow” several times, due to the genius and recklessness of Goran Ivanisevic. Who, before the triumph, had lost three finals. And he never thought he would win one. The new millennium has shifted the inertia. Against Rafter, a striker, it was one of the liveliest finals: especially when the ball of the game was in the Croatian’s hands, in the sense of being at service: as if it were in a casino, for Goran there were no alternatives: ace, or double fault. Unforgettable.
2008: Rafael Nadal b. Roger Federer 6–4, 6–4, 6–7 (5), 6–7 (8), 9–7
And here we are at the “Fedal” on the grass: everyone saying that Nadal was just a landlubber and here is the Majorcan’s response, for one of the most memorable finals, which definitively certified the rivalry of the two, absorbing the love of the entire tennis world , some for one and some for the other.
2009: Roger Federer b. Andy Roddick 5–7, 7–6 (6), 7–6 (5), 3–6, 16–14
After that defeat, others would have struggled to recover. But not Federer. Not on the grass, which heals the wounds of creatives. And, in the end, a powerful champion like Roddick had to give up. An American who was too kind to have that extra pinch of cynicism that would have been needed to carry out a sacrilegious act.
2019: Novak Djokovic b. Roger Federer 7–6 (5), 1–6, 7–6 (4), 4–6, 13–12 (3)
And yet this is the most incredible final, even more than the one in 2008. Because Federer is 38 years old and it is his last swan song. The Wimbledon Centre Court only shouts “Roger, Roger” and, after the match, Djokovic will admit to having changed it to “Nole, Nole” to give himself energy. A final that lasted five hours less three minutes, decided by the new tie-break format at 12-12 in the final set. The most incredible moment? The two match points for Federer, at 8-7 in the fifth set with his serve available. Incredible what Djokovic did, a man alone against the rest of the world.
2021: Novak Djokovic b. Matteo Berrettini 6-7 (4), 6–4, 6–4, 6–3
We put this here because it concerns us, because finally every Italian who loves tennis was able to say “Thank you Matteo” for the first final in history with a bit of blue. Even with the illusion of the first set. Then the Serbian took the measures. But it was beautiful all the same.
2023: Carlos Alcaraz b. Novak Djokovic 1–6, 7–6 (6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4
And here the unthinkable happened: the man who held his own against Federer and a stadium totally against him, was surprised (so to speak) by the young Spaniard in the fifth set. “Djokovic never loses in the fifth set” was one of the clichés before this final. Wimbledon always surprises. Let’s see what will happen in 2024.
