Carlos Alcaraz enters the 2023 edition of Wimbledon as the tournament’s No. 1 seed, but all the talk is about No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic. He is the betting favorite in London, and with a victory, he will tie Wimbledon legend Roger Federer for the most titles in history.

If it’s not Alcaraz or Djokovic, who will win this year? Could clay specialist Casper Ruud break through on grass? Will a young American (Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, or Tommy Paul) have a moment? How about hometown favorite Cameron Norrie? Tennis fans can’t wait to find out.

Who won Men’s Wimbledon 2022? Serbian Novak Djokovic won Wimbledon 2022 by defeating Australian Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.

History of Wimbledon Men’s Winners

The first all-amateur men’s Wimbledon, held in 1877, was won by Spencer Gore. In 1968, Rod Laver won the first men’s Wimbledon of the “Open Era” in which professionals were invited to play against the amateurs. Tiebreakers have undergone various changes over the years, but as of 2023, all sets go to a tiebreak if tied at 6-6.

Wimbledon is played at the famous All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet club in Wimbledon, London.

You’ll find a full list of men’s Wimbledon winners here.

Who has won the most Men’s Wimbledon titles?

 Since the start of the Open Era, Roger Federer holds the record for the most men’s Wimbledon singles titles with eight. Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras each have seven, although Djokovic could add an eighth this year.

Ranking the Top 10 Greatest Men’s Wimbledon Winners in History

10. Andy Murray

Wimbledon Champion: 2013, 2016
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 2012

Andy Murray marched his way to the finals of Wimbledon 2012 only to run into a hungry Roger Federer. The Swiss superstar easily demolished Scotland native Murray in four sets. Local fans were left wondering if a British man would ever win another Wimbledon singles title -- a drought that had reached 76 years.

The drought would end just a year later. In 2013, Murray faced a new world No. 1, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, in the final, but the rankings didn’t matter this time. A combination of adrenaline, the crowd, and determination led Murray to a straight-sets victory.

“After the match, I was exhausted. Twenty or 30 minutes after we got off the court, I was sitting with my wife, and I was wanting to sleep. That is not usually how you feel after a match -- normally the adrenaline makes it hard to sleep -- but I was completely spent after the match,” he explained.

Wimbledon champions find a way, and that’s exactly what Murray did.

9. Goran Ivanisevic

Wimbledon Champion: 2001
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 1992, 1994, 1998

Croatian former world No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic climbed the Wimbledon tournament mountain all the way to the finals three times during the 1990s and was defeated all three times. During the earlier rounds in 1992, he stunningly defeated the trio of Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, and Pete Sampras before falling to Andre Agassi in the final.

By the time 2001 rolled around, Ivanisevic was 30, injured, and mulling retirement. He entered Wimbledon as a wild card, but remarkably stormed back to the final, where he faced third-seeded Patrick Rafter. In the fairy-tale style of never giving up, Ivanisevic won a remarkable five-set match. The fifth set went the distance, with the lanky Croatian winning it 9-7. Ivanisevic became the first wild card to ever win a Grand Slam event.

“I am worried I will wake up in the morning and they will tell me it was just a dream,” he said in disbelief after the match.

What a Wimbledon player, and what a Wimbledon story. 

8. William Renshaw

Wimbledon Champion: 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1889
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 1890

The man who held the record for the most Wimbledon singles championship for over 100 years, 19th-century British superstar William Renshaw won six titles in a row from 1881 to 1886. Renshaw, along with his twin brother Ernest Renshaw, also won five Wimbledon doubles titles.

Of course, Wimbledon was far different in the 19th century, especially in terms of who was allowed to play (it was an amateur event for club members only). However, seven titles are seven titles, which is not bad when compared to all other men’s winners at Wimbledon.

7. Rafael Nadal 

Wimbledon Champion: 2008, 2010
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 2006, 2007, 2011

By almost all accounts, the 2008 Wimbledon men’s singles final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was the greatest tennis match ever played. Federer, the established veteran and former Wimbledon champion (and world No. 1 at the time), was facing challenger Nadal, who had lost to Federer in the 2007 final. Many thought that Nadal, routinely a French Open champion, would never win outside of a clay court. 

The critics were wrong. Nadal hung on and finally pounced for a dramatic five-set victory. He would later add the 2010 title to his collection.

Nadal made the semifinals at Wimbledon 2022 before having to withdraw due to a wrist injury, and reports indicate that he will miss the 2023 tournament. Nevertheless, he will always be a Wimbledon legend.

6. John McEnroe

Wimbledon Champion: 1981, 1983, 1984
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 1980, 1982 

The always-combative John McEnroe reached five straight Wimbledon finals during the early 1980s, often making headlines for his antics along the way. He was one half of the epic “fire and ice” rivalry with Swedish star Bjorn Borg.

Borg got the best of McEnroe in 1980, winning a five-set match ranked by Betway Insider as the second-greatest Wimbledon final ever. The tempestuous American would get his revenge a year later, downing the Swede in four sets for the first of his three Wimbledon championships.

Ranking sixth on this list might not be good enough for McEnroe, who will probably say “You cannot be serious!” if he ever hears about it.

5. Boris Becker

Wimbledon Champion: 1985, 1986, 1989
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 1988, 1990, 1991, 1995

Boris Becker is an appropriate player to follow John McEnroe on this list.

McEnroe had won the 1983 and 1984 Wimbledon titles. In 1985, he was the world No. 1 and tournament favorite. West Germany’s Boris Becker, meanwhile, was unseeded, only 17 years old, and competing in his second-ever Wimbledon. Becker defeated American Kevin Curren in a four-set final after Curren had knocked out McEnroe (in straight sets) during the quarterfinals. 

“For my education as a tennis player, it was probably too early, because every time I went back on a tennis court, everything was compared to Wimbledon '85," Becker later said.

A classic Wimbledon winner, Becker did quite well for himself in London, appearing in six more finals and winning two of them.

4. Bjorn Borg

Wimbledon Champion: 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 1981

The other half of the “Fire and Ice” rivalry with John McEnroe, Sweden’s Bjorn Borg was the first man since William Renshaw to play in six consecutive Wimbledon finals. He won the first five of those, beating Jimmy Connors twice, Roscoe Tanner once, Ilie Nastase once, and John McEnroe once. Three of the victories came in five sets, including Borg’s famed 1980 final against McEnroe. Borg would lose to McEnroe in the 1981 Wimbledon final, and despite being only 25 at the time, he never contested another one.

Famously, Borg lost the tiebreak in the fourth set of the 1980 final 16-18, giving McEnroe a lifeline back into the match.

“This is terrible. I'm going to lose." Borg later admitted to thinking. “If you lose a match like this, the Wimbledon final, after all those chances, you will not forget it for a long, long time. That could be very, very hard."

It was Borg’s serve to start the last set, and he lost the first two points.

"But then," Borg recalled, "I say to myself, I have to forget. I have to keep trying, try to win.”

Borg kept trying and did go on to win the match. 

3. Novak Djokovic

Wimbledon Champion: 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 2013

Novak Djokovic is 7-1 in career Wimbledon finals. He has won four in a row, too, capturing the 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 titles (2020 was canceled due to COVID-19). Djokovic enters the Wimbledon 2023 tournament as the No. 2 seed and the betting favorite on the men’s side at -160 to win.

Why is Djokovic so good on grass? Here’s the answer, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim:

“It’s all about movement. Grass benefits the athletes, the fleet of foot, the players who can change direction, and those who are flexible. When players' movement gets exposed (Stefanos Tsitsipas, Karolina Pliskova), they are vulnerable. When players can combine ball striking and returning and serving with slick movement, they can excel. Which Djokovic does.”

 Do all Wimbledon men’s champions do this? Maybe, but the Djoker seems to have the magic touch.

2. Pete Sampras

Wimbledon Champion: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

If you thought Novak Djokovic’s 7-1 record in Wimbledon finals was impressive, how about Pete Sampras’s 7-0?

 After a breakthrough performance in 1993, Sampras was even more dominant in 1994, defeating Andre Agassi in straight sets in the final and not dropping a set during the entire tournament. He three-peated by winning the next year.

After falling in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1996, Sampras would not lose again there until 2001. Still ranked No. 1 in the world at that point, he lost to a Swiss teenager looking to make his name on tennis’s biggest stage. You’ll read about that young man next

1. Roger Federer

Wimbledon Champion: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017
Wimbledon Runner-Up: 2008, 2014, 2015, 2019

Which young Wimbledon player managed to dethrone Pete Sampras in 2001? It was a guy by the name of Roger Federer, who would one day go on to win the most Wimbledon titles (and appear in the most Wimbledon finals)  of any man in tennis history, amateur or professional. He won the tournament eight times and reached the final on four other occasions.

When he beat Mark Philippoussis to win his first Wimbledon title in 2003, Federer was a different player from the legend who triumphed over Marin Cilic 14 years later in the 2017 final. The headline in The Atlantic after that 2017 match read: “Federer’s Wimbledon win was anything but nostalgic.”

Always classy, Federer was the greatest Wimbledon champion of all time.
Parameters of Rankings

This list of the greatest Wimbledon men’s champions is based on four factors. Those factors are the number of Wimbledon titles a player won, the number of Wimbledon finals he reached, the player’s legacy in Wimbledon lore, and the player’s style of victory.

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