In anticipation of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, we’ve updated our popular intergraphic (interactive graphic) with the 2012 men’s final results. The data was made available by the Guardian and Wimbledon.org, and we’ve again looked at time spent on court by the Open Era’s great players.
Which player has amassed the most time in finals? Who is the toughest competitor? Could Federer overtake Sampras and claim an unprecedented eighth title in 2013? Click on the categories to reveal the results.
Winning a Grand Slam is the pinnacle of a tennis player’s career, but the tradition and history of Wimbledon makes this tournament extra special. With its iconic ivy-adorned setting and first-class facilities, SW19 is the number one event in the tennis calendar for players and fans alike. Over the years, the tournament has witnessed some classic finals, played out by the game’s greats. Some short and clinical, others epic battles, but all memorable to those out on Centre Court. Below, we take a look at the quickest, slowest, and most successful Wimbledon Men’s finalists of the Open Era.
Federer
FA: 8
SP: 33
Avg. Match Length03:15:00
R. Federer bt A. Roddick
6-2, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
2005
5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 16-14
2009
R. Federer bt R. Nadal
7-6 (9-7), 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-2
2007
R. Federer bt A. Murray
4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
2012
R. Federer
W: 7
RU: 1
Becker
FA: 7
SP: 26
Avg. Match Length02:37:00
B.F. Becker bt K.M. Curren
6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
1985
B.F. Becker
W: 3
RU: 4
Borg
FA: 6
SP: 25
Avg. Match Length02:49:00
B.R. Borg bt J.S. Connors
6-2, 6-2, 6-3
1978
B.R. Borg bt I. Nastase
6-4, 6-2, 9-7
1976
B.R. Borg bt J.P. McEnroe
1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (16-18), 8-6
1980
3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
1977
B.R. Borg
W: 5
Sampras
Avg. Match Length02:24:00
P. Sampras bt C.A. Pioline
6-4, 6-2, 6-4
1997
P. Sampras bt P.M. Rafter
6-7 (10-12), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-2
2000
P. Sampras
RU: 0
Nadal
FA: 5
SP: 20
Avg. Match Length03:13:00
R. Nadal
W: 2
RU: 3
R. Nadal bt R. Federer
6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7
2008
McEnroe
Avg. Match Length02:51:00
J.P. McEnroe bt J.S. Connors
6-1, 6-1, 6-2
1984
J.P. McEnroe bt C.J. Lewis
6-2, 6-2, 6-2
1983
J.P. McEnroe bt B.R. Borg
4-6, 7-6 (7-1), 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
1981
J.P. McEnroe
RU: 2
Connors
SP: 23
Avg. Match Length02:23:00
J.S. Connors bt K.R. Rosewall
6-1, 6-1, 6-4
1974
J.S. Connors bt J.P. McEnroe
3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
1982
J.S. Connors
Ivanisevic
FA: 4
SP: 18
Avg. Match Length02:40:00
G.S. Ivanisevic bt P.M. Rafter
6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7
2001
Roddick
FA: 3
SP: 12
Edberg
S.B. Edberg
J.D. Newcombe
R.G. Laver bt A.D. Roche
6-3, 6-4, 6-2
1968
R.G. Laver
R.P.S. Krajicek bt M.O. Washington
6-3, 6-4, 6-3
1996
J. Kodes bt A. Metreveli
6-1, 9-8(7-5), 6-3
1973
FA: Finals Appearances, SP: Sets Played, W: Wins, RU: Runner Up
This graph details the shortest Wimbledon finals by winning player. Hover over the player icons for details of each match.
LaverMatch Length01:00:00
McEnroeMatch Length01:20:00
McEnroeMatch Length01:25:00
ConnorsMatch Length01:33:00
SamprasMatch Length01:34:00
KrajicekMatch Length01:34:00
FedererMatch Length01:41:00
BorgMatch Length01:48:00
BorgMatch Length01:50:00
KodesMatch Length01:50:00
00:00:00
00:20:00
00:40:00
01:00:00
01:20:00
01:40:00
02:00:00
This visualisation shows the time accumulated on court by players in Wimbledon finals. Hover over the player icons to view their average match time, number of final appearances and sets played.
This graph details the longest Wimbledon finals by the eventual winning player. Hover over the player icons for details of each match.
NadalMatch Length:04:48:00
ConnorsMatch Length:04:16:00
FedererMatch Length:04:16:00
BorgMatch Length:03:53:00
FedererMatch Length:03:45:00
FedererMatch Length:03:23:00
McEnroeMatch Length:03:22:00
BeckerMatch Length:03:18:00
BorgMatch Length:03:14:00
SamprasMatch Length:03:02:00
IvanisevicMatch Length:03:02:00
00:50:00
02:30:00
03:20:00
04:10:00
05:00:00
This graph shows the average winning and losing times of the most successful Wimbledon champions. Hover over the player icons to see their win/loss record in Wimbledon finals.
SamprasWin: 02:24:00No Defeats
FedererWin:03:06:00
FedererDefeat:04:48:00
BorgWin:02:43:00
BorgDefeat:03:22:00
McEnroeWin:02:02:00
McEnroeDefeat:04:05:00
BeckerWin:02:31:00
BeckerDefeat:02:43:00
LaverWin:01:38:00No Defeats
NewcombeWin:02:47:00
NewcombeDefeat:02:16:00
EdbergWin:02:54:00
EdbergDefeat:02:12:00
NadalWin:03:31:00
NadalDefeat:03:01:00
ConnorsWin:02:55:00
ConnorsDefeat:02:07:00
Average time per win
Average time per defeat
Rod Laver won the first Wimbledon of the Open Era in just 60 mins. He won two of his four Wimbledon titles in the Open Era, and remains the only male player to have held all four grand slam tournaments consecutively since 1968.
In his only final appearance, Dutchman Richard Krajicek wrapped up the title in only 94 mins. En-route to the final, the big serving Dutchman beat Pete Sampras, with Krajicek often proving a tough opponent for the American throughout his career.
John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg are the only players to feature twice in the top 10. During their heyday in the late 70s and early 80s, the courts at Wimbledon played very quickly and a serve volley style of play was in evidence a lot more widely than it is today.
In 2013 Federer won his record equalling seventh title. In doing so he became the first player to have spent over 24 hours on court, and his defeat of Andy Murray caused emotional scenes on Centre Court.
Rivals McEnroe and Connors have accumulated the same amount of time on court. Although only facing each other twice in Wimbledon finals, they contributed much to one of the most competitive eras of men’s tennis.
Of the top 10, only Andy Roddick has failed to win the title, losing to Roger Federer on three occasions. Calling time on his career after the US Open in 2012, Roddick finished as a one-time Grand Slam tournament winner - no mean feat given the company he was keeping.
The epic 2008 final between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal took just under 5 hours to complete, showing just how difficult it is to beat the Swiss on Centre Court.
John McEnroe is another tough competitor. His only final defeats came against Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg, and both went the distance, taking up spots three and four on the list.
Goran Ivanesevic's quest for Wimbledon glory was finally accomplished on his fourth attempt in 2001, having been handed a wildcard entry to the tornament. He beat Pat Rafter, who succumbed to a second consecutive final defeat in exactly the same time.
Pete Sampras was imperious in finals on Centre Court, winning seven without loss. He also managed to accomplish this with the third fastest average match time.
John McEnroe's final victories would, on average, happen twice as fast his defeats. Infamous for his outbursts and bad temper, McEnroe is one of the most combative players in the history of the game. In the 1980 final, he saved five championship points, only to be defeated by Borg in the deciding set.
Finals featuring Rafa Nadal average the longest match length, his legendary defensive qualities making him exceptionally hard to beat. Starting out as a clay court specialist, his game was not naturally suited to grass, but he has gone on to win all four grand slams.
Want to share this intergraphic? Use the embed codes to link to the intergraphic.
Link to this page using an introduction image.
Preview
Link to this page using a "tower" infographic (without player stats).
Link to this page using a "tower" infographic (with stats).