1981: You cannot be serious

It is one of the most infamous lines in tennis history. Remembered and imitated on an almost daily basis around the world, in 1981, a headband-wearing, frizzy-haired John McEnroe was so furious at Wimbledon umpire Edward James's refusal to call his serve in, that he uttered the immortal words "you cannot be serious". Subjecting both James and the Centre Court crowd to a tirade of ill-tempered mutterings, it became McEnroe's calling card, so famous that he titled his autobiography, somewhat tongue in cheek, 'Serious'.

McEnroe's assertion that he had spotted chalk dust flying up from the line might not have justified his description of the line judge as an 'incompetent fool', but it seems it was certainly more than mere gamesmanship designed to put off his opponent Tom Gullikson. McEnroe went on to beat Gullikson and win the singles title, exacting revenge on his temperamental opposite, the icy-cool Bjorn Borg.

1982: John McEnroe v Jimmy Connors

Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe both shared fascinating rivalries with Bjorn Borg, but the two Americans also had many extraordinary encounters against each other between 1977 and the late 1990s. "Something like that never goes away, especially between Mac and myself," Connors said. "To have carried on this rivalry for so many years and for you still to be talking about it, must mean that we made our mark somewhere."

Their very first meeting came at the Wimbledon semi-finals in 1977, so it was perhaps fitting that it was Wimbledon again that provided the backdrop for one of their most blistering encounters, this time in the final. For Connors, victory would give him a second Wimbledon title exactly eight years after his first. For McEnroe, it would mark a successful defence of The Championships that he won for the first time the year before, and give him legitimate claim to the No.1 world ranking.

The pair had met in the final of The Queen's Club event two weeks previously, a match Connors won, which gave him a psychological edge over his tempestuous rival And so it proved. Taking four hours and 14 minutes, the longest men's final in Wimbledon history at that point, Connors dethroned McEnroe in five sets that varied from rather slow to fiercely brilliant. Triumphing 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, the two Americans fought on such terms that both won the same number of points, 173.

1984: Celebrating Fred Perry’s 50th anniversary

One of Wimbledon's greatest champions was celebrated in 1984, when a statue was erected at the Church Road grounds to mark the 50th anniversary of Fred Perry's first singles Championships. The statue, made of bronze, shows Perry in his prime, immaculately turned out in long trousers, slicked back hair, and of course, the polo shirt bearing his now world-famous Fred Perry brand. Look closely and you might even see the ghost of a smile on the great man's lips.

Depicting a typical Perry stance, legs bent, racket raised, ready to hit the ball on the rise, the statue sat for a long time just inside Gate 5, one of the main entrances to the Grounds. But on the completion of the building works surrounding Centre Court, Fred was moved to his current position outside the Debenture Holders entrance to Wimbledon's jewel in the crown.

1985: A curious fashion statement

The Grounds at SW19 have played host to many a famous outfit. From Suzanne Lenglen's long skirts, to Gussie Moran's infamous lace-trimmed underwear, Serena Williams' 'strawberries and cream' motif in 2010, to Bethanie Mattek-Sands' shorts and knee-length socks - players have brought their own individual style to Wimbledon, within the traditional all-white rule.

But perhaps one of the most extraordinary of outfits was brought to Church Road by American Anne White in 1985. Competing against fifth seed Pam Shriver in the first round on an outer court, White took off her warm-up tracksuit to reveal a white, one-piece Lycra body suit. Attracting a lot of attention from the crowd and the photographers as she moved around in an outfit more suitable for a figure skater than a tennis player, play was suspended for the day at one-set all.

Referee Alan Mills took it upon himself to have a quiet word in her ear and suggest she wore something more appropriate the next day, which she did. "I had no idea it would be so controversial," White said afterwards.

1985: Lightning strikes Centre Court

Most people will probably remember the 1985 Championships as the year a certain red-haired German by the name of Boris Franz Becker sensationally served, volleyed and dived his way to his first Wimbledon title aged just 17. Or maybe it would be the controversial all-in-one bodysuit worn by American Anne White during her first round match against Pam Shriver that year.

For me, though, it was the – literally – explosive first Monday when Centre Court was rocked to its foundations by a blinding light and deafening explosion. We later discovered lightning had struck a corner of a new £4 million administrative building attached to Centre Court that housed the press centre. TV footage showed ball boys and ball girls jumping out of their skins as those inside the arena waiting for the first match of the day felt the full force of the impact.

On the outside of the structure, six lumps of masonry weighing around half a pound each fell from 90ft, narrowly missing spectators below. Not that all of them were too concerned, however. American fan Gayle Burns told the Sarasota Herald Tribune later that day: "[The masonry] missed me by two feet. But it makes a lovely souvenir."

1985: Boris Becker

Boris Becker will be long remembered for his astonishing victory in 1985 when he won the Gentlemen's Singles Championship as an unseeded 17-year-old. Despite winning the title at Queen's Club prior to the 1985 Championships, Becker went into the draw unseeded because he was ranked just 20th in the world at the time.

Becker (pictured below, serving) defeated the South-African born Kevin Curren in the final, with his powerful serve, mid-air volleys, and tireless chasing all underlining the German teenager’s ambition. He was too quick, too strong for Curren and won 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 6-4.

He was the youngest champion at 17 years, 227 days. He was the first German winner and the first unseeded player to win. The fact that Becker had dropped eight sets on the way had been equalled only once before by Ted Schroeder in 1949.

The Becker of 1985, standing 6’1.5” and weighing 173lbs, was to go on to retain the Wimbledon title in 1986 and win again in 1989. He was runner-up on four other occasions and played for the 15th and final time in 1999 to complete a career record at the All England Club of 71 matches won and 12 lost.