Widely recognised as the most prestigious of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, Wimbledon has produced some epic men’s singles finals since it was first staged.
Standards have undoubtedly risen over the past few decades, with sports science helping the players become much fitter and stronger than was previously the case.
With that in mind, we’ve looked at the last 50 men’s singles finals and picked out five that we believe stand head and shoulders above the rest.
Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal – 2008
Despite dominating on clay at the French Open, Spanish star Rafael Nadal had been unable to break his duck on the grass courts at Wimbledon.
Federer had rattled off five successive wins at the All-England Club and was favourite in the online betting to beat Nadal for the third year in a row.
As highlighted by Betway’s recent interview with Andre Sa about his 2002 quarter-final against Tim Henman, playing against the crowd favourite was far from easy.
However, Nadal dug deep in the final set to eventually secure a famous 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-7 (8-10) 9-7 victory and knock Federer off his perch.
Bjorn Borg vs John McEnroe – 1980
Many people argue that the Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic era is the greatest in the history of tennis, but that does a disservice to two stars of yesteryear.
You could not wish to meet two more contrasting personalities than Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, but both of them undoubtedly knew how to play tennis.
Borg was going for his fifth successive Wimbledon title in 1980, while McEnroe was widely viewed as the best bet to stop him in his tracks.
After five sets that included an epic 18-16 tie-break which saw Borg draw level at 2-2, the Swedish star prevailed in a final that eventually inspired a Hollywood film.
Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer – 2019
Having previously won eight Wimbledon singles titles, it was easy to see why Federer was one of the highest paid athletes in the world heading into the 2019 final.
Federer was approaching his 38th birthday that year, but still possessed enough quality to push the number one seed to a fifth set.
The Swiss legend failed to convert two match points at 8-7 in the decider and was made to pay as Djokovic prevailed in an historic tie-break.
Djokovic did not endear himself to the crowd after the match as he bizarrely popped a chunk of Wimbledon grass into his mouth.
Goran Ivanisevic vs Pat Rafter – 2001
Rafter went into the 2001 final on a recovery mission after being beaten by Pete Sampras in four sets the previous year.
However, he came out on the wrong side of a five-set classic against Ivanisevic, with the Croatian securing a 6-3 3-6 6-3 2-6 9-7 victory.
The match was additionally noteworthy as adverse weather conditions meant it was moved from its usual Sunday slot to the following day.
The two players put on a fabulous show, but it was Ivanisevic who emerged victorious to become the first unseeded player since Boris Becker to lift the title.
Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick – 2009
It is fair to say that Roddick would have won several more major titles had he not had the misfortune to be playing at the same time as Federer.
The Swiss star was seeking redemption after being denied by a six-timer by Nadal in 2008, but was given an almighty fright by Roddick.
The American held four points for a two-set lead, but couldn’t convert and Federer subsequently went 2-1 ahead. Roddick then levelled the match to force a fifth set.
More than one and a half hours and 30 games later, Roddick eventually succumbed to one of the greatest tennis players of all time.