The Wimbledon Championships are going about at full throttle at the moment after a stop-start beginning, thanks to the frequent rain interruptions. The iconic Grand Slam in England has been known to make the careers of many tennis players over the years. It is considered one of the toughest to win due to it being played on grass and the conditions and crowd atmosphere often favoring one player over another.
Add age to that and it becomes a huge test of mental and physical fitness as well as the threat of competition from youngsters for older players. So winning becomes the hardest, which is why very few actually are able to achieve the feat. So the query often asked about the Wimbledon Championships every year is – ‘Who is the oldest man to win Wimbledon?’
When Roger Federer took Centre Court by storm in 2017
The oldest man to win Wimbledon is none other than the legendary Roger Federer across eras. Roger Federer has left behind a timeless legacy at the tournament, clinching the men’s singles title a record 8 times. While his first title win came at the age of 21 back in 2003, his final and 8th title win came in the year 2017.
Federer was having a renaissance season of sorts, bouncing back in style that year with a win in the Australian Open first up. The Swiss superstar, who had less than a month before he could turn 36, was in surprisingly fine form at Wimbledon as well. The odds were in his favor after his biggest rivals, i.e. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all crashed out in earlier rounds.
Roger Federer played the 7th seed from Croatia, Marin Cilic in the final on July 16, 2017. Cilic proved to be no match to Federer’s prowess on the surface especially on the day as it was not only a straight sets win for the former World No.1, but also his 19th Grand Slam title.
Once again, it was Federer who was the trailblazer when it comes to showing that age is just a number when it comes to winning Grand Slams and retirement can’t be an option unless there is no way out.
Can Novak Djokovic surpass another Roger Federer record at Wimbledon 2023?
However, the man who has conquered Roger Federer the most at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic is not too far behind from shattering this record. The World No.2 turned 36 on May 22 this year and looks like the overwhelming favorite to not only defend his title but create history as the oldest to do it as well. Should Djokovic do so, he would break Federer’s record which has remained intact since the last 6 years.
Novak Djokovic had won the Wimbledon last year at the age of 35 no doubt. However, Djokovic was 35 years and 49 days old when he did so, beating Nick Kyrgios in the final. On the other hand, Roger Federer was 35 years 326 days old when he beat Marin Cilic back in 2017.
