1937: Singles, doubles and mixed

After the exhilarating hat-trick of Wimbledon wins by Fred Perry, it was the turn of the United States, spearheaded by the great Don Budge, to take over domination of the men’s singles championship - and the tall, red-headed American did it in some style by also winning the men’s doubles and mixed doubles crowns - and then repeating that astonishing achievement the following year, when he also became the first to win the Grand Slam of all four major singles titles.

As top seed, Budge dropped only one set in the 1937 singles (to fellow American Frank Parker in the semi-finals), and he crushed Gottfried von Cramm for the loss of just nine games in the final. Budge’s success in the 1937 men’s doubles, with Gene Mako, was notable as the American pair were winners in four sets against the British Davis Cup combination of Pat Hughes and Charles Tuckey. The mixed doubles, where he teamed up with Alice Marble, was an easier affair, a 6-4 6-1 stroll against the French couple, Yvon Petra and Simone Mathieu.

1937: Donald Budge v Gottfried Von Cramm

One of the finest men’s contests in the history of Centre Court took place not in The Championships but the Davis Cup, when Germany faced the United States in the 1937 Inter-Zone play-off for the right to challenge the defending champions, Great Britain, in the final.

The tie (pictured above), agonisingly poised at 2-2 on the third and final day, hung on the last singles in which the newly crowned Wimbledon champion, Don Budge, faced Gottfried von Cramm, the man he had beaten to capture the title.

Before going on court Von Cramm took a phone call from Adolf Hitler urging him to win for the Fatherland. He won the first two marathon sets 8-6 and then 7-5. The next two sets went to the American but in the fifth von Cramm, playing the tennis of his life, opened up a 4-1 lead. Budge told his non-playing captain Walter Pate, “Don’t worry Cap, I’ll win this if it kills me”. And he did, breaking serve at 6-6 to win 8-6 against an opponent who saved five match points in an unforgettable contest, which ended in semi-darkness.

1938: Bunny Austin

Bunny Austin started to come to prominence in the ‘20s while an undergraduate at Cambridge but it was in the next decade that he made even more of an impact with two appearances in the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1932 and 1938.

Austin was overshadowed by Fred Perry who won the Wimbledon title three times but he was a considerable force in the Davis Cup team, which won the trophy four times in the ‘30s. He was far from a disappointment at Wimbledon as he first secured a place in the singles final in 1932 when he was beaten by Ellsworth Vines of California who was recorded as having won the last point with a service which nobody saw, apart from a cloud of dust.

Austin did leave his mark on Wimbledon — in 1934 he was the first player to wear shorts there — and he was a quarter-finalist or better 10 times.

1938: Donald Budge

Don Budge of the USA started to make an impact when he first played at Wimbledon in 1935 and three years later became the first Grand Slam winner, including taking the Wimbledon title without losing a set. Three times Budge was taken as close as 7-5 but in no round did he concede more than eight games.

His final against Bunny Austin of Great Britain was his best performance that year, winning by 6-1, 6-0, 6-3. Budge won the doubles and mixed doubles as well, just as he had in 1937, and was the undoubted No.1 player in the world, a position he maintained for five years. Budge was a genuine giant of a player and his rolled backhand was widely praised as his most defining stroke.

It was a weapon that gave his game a significant foundation. During World War II he tore a shoulder muscle that affected him later in his career, which was largely spent in the professional ranks dealing with players such as Bobby Riggs, who was the last pre-war champion at Wimbledon, and Frank Sedgman.

1938: Helen Wills Moody’s eighth

Helen Wills was beaten in the first Wimbledon final she played - against the British player Kitty Godfree in 1924--but the rest of her appearances at Wimbledon simply allowed her to demonstrate her astonishing skills on grass and the command she built and sustained over the championships. As an example, she lost a set in the first round of the 1927 championships but did not lose another until six years later, not just at Wimbledon but in any other tournament as well.

Her nickname "Little Miss Poker Face," because of her intense concentration, was well earned. In 1938 she came to play at Wimbledon for the last time, winning once more at the age of 32. It was at Wimbledon where she made the greatest impact and one of her contemporaries, Don Budge, said many years later that in his view no woman hit the ball harder until Steffi Graf came along. Wills Moody always practised with men players. It was Martina Navratilova who finally overhauled Wills Moody in 1990 when she won her ninth Wimbledon title.