Since 1877, The Championships has witnessed some of the most important moments in tennis history. The grass courts of the All England Club have played an integral role in the careers of many of the sport’s greatest names, including Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the biggest stars in the sport will have to wait another year to wear traditional all-white attire and compete for the biggest title in grass-court tennis.

ATPTour.com reflects on some of the most memorable moments from SW19.

1980: Borg, McEnroe Produce Instant Classic
Widely considered one of the greatest finals in Wimbledon history, four-time defending champion Bjorn Borg met first-time Wimbledon finalist John McEnroe in the 1980 final. A cool and composed Borg entered the match seeking his third straight Roland Garros-Wimbledon double. On the other side of the net, a fiery 21-year-old McEnroe was aiming to lift his second Grand Slam trophy after his 1979 US Open triumph.

Borg started slowly, but he charged back into the match and found himself on the brink of victory in the fourth set. The Swede earned seven championship points, but McEnroe saved each one and extended the match to a deciding set by winning a memorable 22-minute tie-break 18/16. In the decider, Borg raised his level on serve and broke through in the 14th and final game with a cross-court backhand passing shot to clinch a 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7(16), 8-6 victory and his fifth straight crown at the All England Club.

Bjorn Borg beats John McEnroe in five sets to claim the 1980 Gentlemen’s Singles title at Wimbledon.” />

1985: The Youngest Champion
One week after lifting his maiden ATP Tour title at The Queen’s Club, Boris Becker arrived at SW19 for his second appearance at The Championships. The unseeded German survived back-to-back five-set encounters against Joakim Nystrom and Tim Mayotte, before overcoming Henri Leconte and Anders Jarryd in four sets to reach his maiden Grand Slam final against Kevin Curren.

After three hours and 18 minutes of action on Centre Court, the 17-year-old fired a huge serve out wide to complete a 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-4 victory and become the youngest champion in the tournament’s history. Becker reached another six Wimbledon championship matches, including three straight finals against Stefan Edberg between 1988 and 1990.

Boris Becker beats Kevin Curren to lift the 1985 Gentlemen’s Singles title at Wimbledon.” />

2000: Sampras’ Seventh
Between 1993 and 2000, Pete Sampras dominated The Championships. The American won 53 of 54 matches across eight appearances to tie William Renshaw’s then-record haul of seven titles at the All England Club. Sampras claimed three straight trophies from 1993 to 1995 and, after a quarter-final loss to eventual champion Richard Krajicek in 1996, the 6’1” right-hander returned to claim four consecutive titles from 1997 to 2000.

In the 2000 championship match, Sampras rallied from a set down to overcome Patrick Rafter 6-7(10), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2 for his 13th Grand Slam crown. The victory moved Sampras into first place on the Grand Slam titles leaderboard, breaking a tie with 12-time Grand Slam winner Roy Emerson.

Pete Sampras lifted seven Gentlemen’s Singles titles at Wimbledon between 1993 and 2000.” />

2001: Ivanisevic Wins ‘The People’s Final’
After finishing as runner-up on three occasions at SW19 during the 1990s, Goran Ivanisevic finally captured the Wimbledon trophy in 2001. Competing at No. 125 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, the 29-year-old rallied from two-sets-to-one down against home favourite Tim Henman in a three-day semi-final to face 2000 runner-up Rafter in a Monday championship match.

With 10,000 tickets available to fans in the Wimbledon queue, the 2001 final, known as ‘The People’s Final’, will be remembered for its incredible atmosphere. The stands of Centre Court were filled with Croatian and Australian flags and fans could barely contain their excitement as the match reached a fifth set. Ivanisevic made the crucial breakthrough with a forehand return winner at 7-7 in the decider, before clinching a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 win on his fourth championship point. Ivanisevic is the only wild card to capture the Gentlemen’s Singles title in tournament history.

Goran Ivanisevic beats Patrick Rafter in five sets to capture the 2001 Gentlemen’s Singles title at Wimbledon.” />

2008: Nadal Dethrones Federer
After losses to the Federer in the 2006 and 2007 finals, Rafael Nadal returned to SW19 in 2008 in the form of his life. Riding a 23-match winning streak, which included a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 win against the Swiss in the Roland Garros championship match, Nadal entered a third straight Wimbledon final against Federer with confidence.

Across four hours and 48 minutes, in a final twice interrupted by rain, Nadal outlasted the five-time defending champion 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 across four hours and 48 minutes, in a final twice interrupted by rain, to claim his maiden Wimbledon crown at 9:15 p.m. local time. As Borg had done in the 1980 final, the Spaniard recovered from the disappointment of failing to convert championship points in a fourth-set tie-break to clinch the trophy. Nadal became the first man since Borg in 1980 to complete the Roland Garros-Wimbledon double and ended Federer’s all-time record 65-match winning streak on grass.

Rafael Nadal defeats Roger Federer in five sets to capture his maiden Wimbledon title in 2008.” />

2013: Murray Ends 77-Year Wait
One year after falling to Roger Federer in his maiden Wimbledon final, Andy Murray returned to The Championships as a Grand Slam winner and an Olympic gold medallist in 2013. Entering the tournament after his third triumph at The Queen’s Club, Murray cruised through to the quarter-finals before comeback victories against Fernando Verdasco and Jerzy Janowicz. Backed by 15,000 fans on Centre Court and a further 4,000 supporters on Henman Hill, Murray faced Novak Djokovic, the man he beat to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2012 US Open.

After edging the opening two sets, Murray recovered from a 2-4 deficit in the third set to serve for the trophy at 5-4. As the Centre Court crowd struggled to contain its excitement, Murray clinched a marathon 11-minute game to become the first British player to capture the Gentlemen’s Singles trophy at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.

Andy Murray defeats Novak Djokovic in straight sets to claim his maiden Wimbledon title in 2013.” />

2017: Federer Makes History
Five years after lifting a record-equalling seventh Gentlemen’s Singles trophy in 2012, Federer arrived at the All England Club in 2017 in top form. The 35-year-old, who ended his 2016 season after Wimbledon to recover from knee surgery, was chasing his second major trophy of the year after lifting his 18th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Federer had also won back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Indian Wells and Miami and his ninth Halle trophy earlier in the year.

After advancing to the championship match with victories against Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych, Federer continued his run of form in the championship match to charge past Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 41 minutes. With his final victory, Federer broke a tie with Renshaw and Sampras to become the first player in tournament history to lift eight Gentlemen’s Singles trophies. He joined Bjorn Borg (1976) as only the second man in the Open Era to claim the title without dropping a set.

Roger Federer beats Marin Cilic in straight sets to capture a record eighth Gentlemen’s Singles title at Wimbledon.” />

2019: The Longest Final
Djokovic and Federer in 2019 met in the Wimbledon final for the third time. Alongside Federer’s meeting with Nadal in the 2008 championship match and Borg and McEnroe’s 1980 classic, the 2019 final will be remembered as one of the best finals in Wimbledon history.

With Federer seeking his 21st Grand Slam title and Djokovic aiming to close the gap in the all-time Grand Slam titles leaderboard with his 16th trophy at the level, both men found their best form on Centre Court. Federer held two championship points at 8-7, 40/15, in the fifth set, but Djokovic recovered to force a 12-12 tie-break. In the first Gentlemen’s Singles match to be decided by the newly-introduced 12-12 final-set tie-break, the Serbian showcased his best retrieval skills in crucial moments to claim a 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3) victory after four hours and 57 minutes. Djokovic became the first man since Robert Falkenburg in 1948 to lift the Wimbledon trophy after saving championship points in the final, winning the longest tournament final in history.

Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his fifth Wimbledon title on Sunday.” />

An 18-year-old Roger Federer played his first ATP Tour match on grass at the 1999 Fever-Tree Championships. Byron Black, who never won a title on the surface, defeated him 6-3, 6-0. Little did anyone know that Federer would become the greatest on grass.

The Swiss’ first big breakthrough on the surface came two years later at Wimbledon, where he shocked former World No. 1 Pete Sampras in the fourth round. Sampras had won six of the previous seven editions of The Championships. A player who had not won a match at SW19 entering the tournament dethroned that generation’s grass-court king.

“I lost to a talented player that’s a great shot-maker, similar to the way I was when I was younger, and still today. He’s got a great grass-court game. He’s got all the tools,” Sampras said. “He’s got a good all-around court game. Doesn’t have any holes… His serve, I couldn’t really get a hold of.”

The future looked bright for Federer. The next year, he made an interesting statement: “Grass court is a tough surface.”

In the 18 years since, the Swiss has made competing on grass look anything but difficult.

Federer lifted his first tour-level grass-court trophy in Halle in 2003, and just weeks later he captured his first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. The 22-year-old didn’t take his maiden major for granted.

“You don’t know if you’re ever going to win anything again after that because you could just be a one-Slam wonder or all of a sudden you have an injury and you can never play again,” Federer said. “Your life as a tennis player is complete if you can win Wimbledon.”

Most Tour-Level Titles On Grass (Open Era)

Federer has earned virtually every grass-court record you could think of: 19 tour-level titles on the surface, eight Wimbledon trophies and an 87.4 grass-court winning percentage (compared to 83.5 per cent on hard), for example. Federer won 65 consecutive grass-court matches — 50 of which came in straight sets — from the start of 2003 Halle until his loss against Rafael Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final.

“Grass comes so natural to me,” he said after his 2017 Wimbledon semi-final.

The 103-time tour-level titlist is known for his aesthetically pleasing game. Everything flows smoothly, from his reliable serve to his ballet-like footwork and forays into the net. His aggressive game has long matched up well with the surface.

“His anticipation and timing is something that only a few players in the world have,” Rod Laver said.

Best Career Winning Percentage On Grass (Open Era)

Even in his latter years, Federer has proven a force on grass. In 2017, the Swiss won his 19th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon. It was his eighth title at SW19, breaking a tie with Sampras for the Open Era record.

Federer won that event convincingly, emerging victorious without dropping a set. At 35 years, 11 months, Federer became the oldest champion in Wimbledon history.

“I didn’t think I was going to be this successful after beating Pete here [in 2001]. I hoped to have a chance maybe one day to be in a Wimbledon finals and have a chance to win the tournament,” Federer said. “Winning eight is not something you can ever aim for, in my opinion.”

Federer has won as many titles in Halle (10), as anyone else has won total on grass. Last season, 16 years on from winning the German event for the first time, Federer earned Halle trophy No. 10 at age 37.

“It’s amazing. For some reason I didn’t think I was going to make it anymore,” Federer said. “[It’s the] first time ever I could win a title 10 times in one place, so it’s obviously a very special moment in my career.”

ATP Platinum Partner FedEx is playing a crucial role in the fight against COVID-19, leveraging its unique air and road networks and infrastructure to help communities and frontline healthcare workers.

Being at the heart of efforts to keep trade flowing across Europe and around the world, FedEx continues to deliver goods, including personal protection equipment (PPE), clinical trials, medical supplies and medical equipment. Since 1 Feb 2020, FedEx Express has globally transported more than 27.8 kilotons of PPE to help combat the COVID-19 virus, with masks accounting for 47 per cent (or 13 kilotons) of those shipments.

“In these unprecedented times, we have collaborated with governments, charities and NGOs to bring critical supplies where they are most needed,” said Karen Reddington, President FedEx Express Europe and CEO of TNT. “We are keenly aware of the role we play, and we view it as our duty to support our customers and communities safely and effectively.”

FedEx activations in Europe include:

• Poland: In collaboration with IKEA, FedEx team members in Poland delivered 231 beds with mattresses, bedding, pillows and towels. In total, over 2,500 items have been transported to 34 Regional Quarantine Centers across the country;
• France: FedEx Express responded to the call from the French authorities to ship medical equipment and materials to France, including 9 million masks for French SMEs activities.
• The COVID-19 situation has generated an unprecedented demand for air freight transport from Asia to Europe. In April 2020, FedEx increased flights between Asia and Europe by almost 50 per cent with its Charles de Gaulle hub in Paris playing a vital part.
• Spain: FedEx team members worked with the Spanish army to deliver 300,000 face masks to a temporary field hospital in Madrid.
• Italy: FedEx Express delivered breathing equipment from the Netherlands to eight hospitals in Northern Italy.
• FedEx delivered 5 million face masks from China to Belgium to support those in urgent need.
• UK: Across the country, FedEx team members delivered ventilators, testing kits, respiratory parts and PPE gowns from China. They also shipped protective screens to stores and delivered urgent medical supplies to temporary field hospitals.

FedEx continues to support customers in Europe and around the world who are relying on the flow of goods and commerce.

The ATP editorial team had another fun time reading the entries that were sent to us for the third installment of our Fan Essay Contest.

Writers aged 18 and under were challenged to write an essay of 500 words or less on the topic: ‘What is the best ATP Tour match you have seen (either in person or on TV)? Describe why the match was so compelling and why it had a big impact on you.’ The winning entries are featured below.

Check Out The Emirates ATP Kids Hub

Thiem Over Chaos
By Ryan Canton, 18, Canton, Connecticut

I root for chaos when I have nothing to lose. Give me David over Goliath every single time. And on 4 September 2018, I once again found myself rooting for chaos.

It was on that night that I found myself glued to my television screen, heart pounding while watching the US Open quarter-final between Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal. Of course, I knew Rafa, but what truly impressed me was the man I knew nothing about.

As the match roared on, I found my jaw constantly gaping open and was dumbfounded by just how hard these two warriors were striking the ball. I had seen enough matches in my life to know that this was special. And before I could even wrap my head around the power in their groundstrokes, Thiem won the first set 6-0.

That set hooked me in for the long haul. To call what was to come a classic would be a massive understatement. The match was a complete and utter war, in the stifling New York humidity, with so much sweat pouring from both players that their bodies were glistening. I was completely hooked.

Two amazing sets of brutal, demanding and enthralling rallies later, Nadal was back in the driver’s seat. Up two-sets-to-one, I considered my hope of watching chaos to be nothing more than a pipe dream. Knowing that I had school in the morning and with the fourth set starting well after midnight, I considered heading to bed. My decision not to was one I’m forever grateful for.

Somehow, Thiem won that fourth set, and in the process he forever won himself a fan in me. He may have lost in the end, but that didn’t seem to matter anymore. Finally, after the clock had struck 2:00am and five of the most amazing sets I will ever have the pleasure of watching concluded, it was all over. But for me personally, the journey had just begun.

This match stuck with me and does to this day. It genuinely lit a fire in me and I am thrilled to say it got me onto the tennis court again. My one-hander has quite a bit to go before it reaches the level of Thiem’s. But it’s thanks to that night, where I simply wanted to root for chaos, that I found a new love in the sport of tennis. When “The Dominator” takes the court, I’ll be pulling for the man that made me fall back in love with this great sport.

See what happened when Aussie John Millman read this fan essay from Melbourne’s Connor Joyce…

The Resilience Of Del Potro
By Eluwole Timothy, 17, Ibadan, Nigeria

Scheduled at a late afternoon hour on 4 September 2017, the last fourth-round match at that year’s US Open between Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem drew tennis fans from around the world into the Grandstand. I watched the match on TV after a training session in my hometown stadium in Ibadan. I had no idea that I was about to watch one of the best tennis matches ever.

The ‘Dominator’ dominated the first two sets and del Potro trailed 1-6, 2-6 after just 72 minutes. The Argentine struggled with a fever and looked feeble and weak. He lacked rhythm, missed routine shots and struggled with his mobility during rallies. Thiem had liberty to fire winners from all angles of the court and had little resistance from his tired opponent. It almost seemed as if del Potro was going to retire and call it quits.

With del Potro’s back against the wall, he inspired hope and found his way into the match by grabbing the third set. His sudden charge changed the atmosphere and gave the match a new vibe.

Both players gave it their all in the fourth set, but it seemed as though Thiem was on his way to victory when he won four straight games to take the lead 5-2. Once again, del Potro found strength from within and fought back tenaciously. He saved two match points by landing two aces and eventually pushed the set into a tie-break. On set point, del Potro leveled the match with a thunderous 116mph forehand.

In the fifth set, the comeback was completed as del Potro broke Thiem in the final game. The victory sent the Grandstand crowd into a frenzy as they erupted in wild celebration. Del Potro spread his hands in joy as he soaked himself in the chants of “Ole Delpo” ringing from the crowd. I could hardly believe what I had just watched. I was so thrilled that I had goosebumps.

The resilience displayed in this match has always been a source of inspiration for me as a tennis player. It reminds me that I can fight illness, low moments and injuries as long as I remain resilient and focused.

There have been moments where I felt very weak and down at tournaments, matches where I had almost lost hope of winning, and this match served as a source of hope for me to get back into games and win them. It still inspires me today and even motivates me in other areas of life to tackle challenges and not lose hope even when the odds are against me.