Tennis fans have had their say on the greatest player in Wimbledon history and Novak Djokovic has been handed a second blow, having failed to win his fifth consecutive SW19 title in defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday.
The Spaniard won the Grand Slam for the first time in his young career, halting Djokovic in his pursuit of Roger Federer’s record.
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The Swiss legend stands alone at the top of the most men’s singles Wimbledon titles with eight, one more than Djokovic who still has the opportunity to draw level. However, in the Open era only one person has more SW19 victories than Federer – Martina Navratilova and her nine titles.
Centre Court especially has been graced by so many icons, but Express Sport readers have had their say and its Federer who has been crowned the greatest at Wimbledon. Of 13,587 fans polled, an overwhelming majority named Federer as the best player in Wimbledon history – nearly half the votes as 7,626 readers went with the man with the most titles on the men’s side.
He was given a hero’s welcome upon his return to Wimbledon this year in his first appearance since retiring, similar to the standing ovation the 41-year-old received during the 100 Years of Centre Court celebration that saw him brought out last to join his fellow champions in 2022.
Federer more than tripled the number of votes that second-placed Djokovic received with 2,482. The Serb narrowly pipped third-placed Navratilova by just 300 votes. Djokovic will feel that he can match and possibly even eclipse Federer’s record but as Navratilova has shown – it may not sway fans away from their Swiss favourite.
Despite Serena Williams backing up her seven singles titles with an additional six doubles wins for 13 overall, only 739 voters picked the American as the best player to grace the Wimbledon courts. She is narrowly ahead of fellow seven-time champion Pete Sampras, who amassed just 586 votes.
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Where new champion Alcaraz could end up a few years down the line remains to be seen, but Djokovic has certainly tipped him to have a bright future and scarily insisted that he is a combination of himself, Federer and Rafa Nadal.
“I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself. I would agree with that. I think he’s got basically the best of all three worlds,” Djokovic said after the final.
“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own obvious strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”
