2001: Tim Henman v Goran Ivanisevic

Friday 6 July

Croat Goran Ivanisevic had started The Championships as a wild card, but the tennis he went on to produce defied his world ranking of No.125. The day’s first semi-final was a marathon and when rain brought a halt to the Henman-Ivanisevic clash after just three sets at 6.18pm, it was the Briton who was in charge. Although Ivanisevic had clinched a tight opening set 7-5, Henman hit back to nick the second on a tie-break before racing through the third by ‘bageling’ Ivanisevic in just 15 minutes. With Henman up 2-1 in the fourth when play was abandoned for the day, the Oxfordshire star was within touching distance of a place in the final.

Saturday 7 July

A full night’s sleep had given Ivanisevic the chance to gather his thoughts and he quickly put the disastrous third set behind him. Ultimately, a fourth-set tiebreak was required and when Tiger Tim opened up a 3-1 lead, once more, things were looking good for the Henmaniacs. Croatia’s finest had other ideas however, and despite standing two points from defeat, Ivanisevic fought his way out of the breaker to force a deciding set. The two men played another five games and with the wild card up 3-2 in the fifth rain brought another premature end to the day’s drama at 6.29 pm. The match would go into a third day.

Sunday 8 July

Both men knew it would be decided by one thing – guts – and so it proved. Henman had a brief window of opportunity when Ivanisevic trailed 0-30 on serve at 3-3, but the outsider blasted his way out of trouble, broke in the very next game and served out the match to complete a memorable 7-5, 6-7(6), 0-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory exactly 45 hours and nine minutes after it had begun on the Friday.

2001: Goran Ivanisevic v Pat Rafter

In what was arguably the feel-good tennis final of all time, the charismatic Croat Goran Ivanisevic defeated the equally regarded Australian Pat Rafter in an epic five-set, three-hour-one-minute final, with Centre Court inhabited by an ecstatic corner of Bedlam.

The three-times beaten finalist had been given a wildcard as a gesture of goodwill for what he once did; he was 125 in the world and two months off his 30th birthday. A string of early exits and a lingering left shoulder problem provoked talk of imminent retirement and a career without a Grand Slam.

The crowd, on People's Monday, cried, cheered, roared and chanted as Ivanisevic, like a gentle giant, stood with his arms aloft on top of a television commentary box to cast his shadow over his kingdom; acknowledging the ovation, capturing the moment with his mind's eye.

Rafter, himself troubled by injury and losing a second successive final, was a gallant loser and recognised the Centre Court happening described by Ivanisevic as a time when "everybody was going nuts". The third seed said: "I don't think Wimbledon has seen anything like it and I don't know whether it will again."

2001: Pete Sampras v Roger Federer

We did not realise it at the time, but this was a changing of the guard. Pete Sampras – a seven-time champion unbeaten in 31 matches dating back to 1996 – was defeated by Roger Federer, who would go on to win eight Wimbledon titles himself.

Sampras had already walked on egg shells earlier in the tournament, taking five sets to overcome British wildcard Barry Cowan in the second round. Federer meanwhile was only 19 but already one for the future, having won the Hopman Cup (alongside Martina Hingis) and Milan already in 2001 and reached the quarter-finals of the French Open a few weeks prior to Wimbledon.

Federer’s serving, movement and attacking mentality were Sampras-esque throughout a match which ebbed and flowed for five sets and in an ironic twist, it would be the only time the two greats faced each other on tour.

He and Federer would meet again in SW19 however, when the latter sealed his 15th Grand Slam win on Centre Court in 2009, taking Sampras’ record in the process.

2002: Pete Sampras v George Bastl

The graveyard of champions earned its sobriquet over the years, and never more so than in 2002. Previous Wimbledon winners to have lost on Court No.2 included John McEnroe, Virginia Wade, Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash, Andre Agassi, Richard Krajicek and Lleyton Hewitt, and then in 2002 came the biggest of them all. Pete Sampras was feeling out of sorts, hounded by the press who wanted to be the first to hear about his impending (according to them at least) retirement.

He took to the court to face George Bastl, a Swiss player for whom the word “journeyman” was invented. He was 145 in the world, only in the tournament as a lucky loser and had set up this second-round clash by defeating another lucky loser a few days earlier.

Two months later, Pistol Pete would go on to capture his 14th and final Grand Slam title at the US Open but in between times, Bastl recorded the greatest win of his career, downing Sampras 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 in what would be the American’s last ever match at Wimbledon. The Swiss then lost 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to David Nalbandian in the next round, and like Sampras, he never won another match in SW19.

2003: Lleyton Hewitt v Ivo Karlovic

To crow, along the lines of “how the mighty are fallen”, would be terribly unfair. Lleyton Hewitt was a mere 22 years old and he found himself up against a 6’10” Croat who would go on to carve himself a niche as one of the hardest servers in the game. But when the title-holder crashed out in the opening round of the 2003 Championships to an unknown qualifier ranked 203 in the world, there was more than enough Schadenfreude to go round.

Hewitt was unlucky enough to come up against a young Ivo Karlovic at a time when the grass was fast and aces rained down. He had, the previous year, been lucky enough to peak early in his career, during the "interregnum" between the Pete Sampras and the Roger Federer eras to secure his second Grand Slam title. He made the most of the period of grace accorded to him by the waning of Sampras’s star prior to Federer’s ascension to greatness, winning the US Open in 2001 and the ATP end-of-season world tour finals in 2001 and 2002.

Only once in the history of The Championships had the defending men’s champion lost in the opening round. At least 1966 winner Manuel Santana (who lost to Charlie Pasarell in the first round the following year) had some company in the record books.

2003: Martina Navratilova wins again

In 2003, 25 years after her first singles title (of nine), Martina Navratilova equalled the amazing Championships record of Billie Jean King with her 20th Wimbledon title, this one coming alongside Leander Paes in the mixed doubles. This historic moment came less than six months after she had achieved the "boxed set" of winning the singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slams (something that eluded even Billie Jean), emulating Doris Hart and Margaret Court before her.

"All my titles here are special but the last one was eight years ago and I never thought I'd play again after that," said Navratilova after she and Paes defeated Andy Ram and Anastasia Rodionova 6-3, 6-3 in the final. The Czech-born American toyed with retirement but accepted a wildcard into the singles draw at The Championships the following year – a decision which attracted criticism both of Navratilova and the AELTC, which she summarily silenced with a 6-0, 6-1 win in the first round over Catalina Castano and by taking Gisela Dulko to three sets in the second round.

The win with Paes also took her overall Slam record to 58 wins, second only to Margaret Court’s 62, and she would go on to add another in 2006, when she partnered Bob Bryan to the US Open title a month before her 50th birthday.

2004: Maria Sharapova

If we take out Lottie Dod, who was still 15 when she won at the tail-end of the 19th century, then only Martina Hingis, who was 16 years and nine months when she won in 1997, was younger than the six-foot Siberian champion.

Sharapova was a tender 17 years and 2 months when she arrived in SW19 in 2004, but she opened a few eyes when she won at the Priory Club in Edgbaston earlier in the month and was seeded No.13 for The Championships. Not that she was expected to win even after she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the semis – a certain Miss S.J. Williams was lying in wait in the final. Serena had won The Championships in 2002 and 2003 and had taken over from her sister Venus, who took the Wimbledon title in 2000 and 2001.

Only 30 minutes into the match however and the sibling domination was all but over. Sharapova took the opening set in half an hour. Serena managed an early break in the second set but the tide was not for turning. Sharapova won 6-1, 6-4, and with her triumph book-ended by Anastasia Myskina’s surprise win at the French and Svetlana Kuznetsova’s success at the US Open, it seemed as if a new Russian era of tennis was being ushered in. Instead it served to spur on the rivalries between the Williams sisters, Justine Henin, Amelie Mauresmo, Kim Clijsters and Sharapova herself in a brief golden age in the women’s game.

2004: Wimbledon the movie

There have been plenty of films about Wimbledon, but in 2004 there was one which is now filed not under sports documentaries but romantic comedies. “Wimbledon” is the story of a player ranked just outside the top 100 who gets a wildcard to The Championships and ends up winning the whole shebang (much a la Goran Ivanisevic in 2001).

The film features John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Mary Carillo and John Barrett in the commentary box, and while Kirsten Dunst cuts an unlikely figure on the baseline, Paul Bettany who plays the lead most certainly benefitted from the coaching of 1987 Wimbledon winner Pat Cash, who trained the actors in the art of swinging the catgut.

Plenty of local landmarks are featured including Heathrow airport, the Dorchester Hotel and the London Eye, but the most unmistakable images came from the All England Club, predominantly on the old and sadly now departed No.3 court where the fans were so close to the action.

2004: Todd Woodbridge

After six titles with the other “Woodie”, Todd Woodbridge bagged another hat-trick – this time alongside Jonas Bjorkman – and broke the Wimbledon record for men’s doubles titles. His ninth success, achieved in 2004, outshone the previous best of eight, which dated back a century, when "Big Do and Little Do" – brothers Reggie and Laurie Doherty – were at their peak.

SW19 was certainly a happy hunting ground for Woodbridge during his playing days. As a singles player, he defeated Sampras on the hallowed lawns in 1989 and even made the semis in 1997. Doubles was definitely his speciality however, and he secured every big trophy there was to win – all four Slams for a total of 16 Majors, the ATP World Tour Finals on two occasions and Olympic Gold in 1996.

Most of his success came as one half of the Woodies, but when Mark Woodforde retired in 2000, Woodbridge went on to secure four more Slams alongside Bjorkman, the last one coming at Wimbledon in 2004. The following year, with a record 83 ATP doubles titles to his name, Woodbridge announced his retirement – at Wimbledon, of course.

2005: Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport

The longest women’s singles final in Wimbledon history saw Venus Williams win her third title, seeing off No.1 seed and 1999 champion Lindsay Davenport in two hours 45 minutes.

Davenport had defeated Dinara Safina, Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo en route to the final, while No.14 seed Venus had had to overcome Mary Pierce in the quarters and defending champion Maria Sharapova in the semis. Having taken such prominent scalps along the way, it was only fitting that the final was such a classic. Davenport edged the opener then broke Venus in the 11th game of the second set, giving the taller of the two lofty Americans the opportunity to serve for the title. Venus amazingly broke back to love to stay alive before dominating the tie-break to level the tie.

Davenport broke to lead 4-2 in the decider and stood at 40-15 on her own service. Undaunted, Venus broke back then levelled. Davenport went for treatment on her back before returning to carve out a match point on her opponent’s serve. Venus saved it and the match went into overtime. At 7-7 the elder of the two tennis-playing Williams sisters broke, and despite double-faulting on her first match point she took the second to emerge victorious 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 after a tie which, for once, actually deserved to be called an "epic".

2005: Stephen Huss and Wesley Moodie

Having played the grand total of one Challenger event together prior to the tournament, South African Wes Moodie and Australian Stephen Huss swept all before them at The Championships in 2005 and became the first ever qualifiers to win the men’s doubles.

The pairing formed just weeks before The Championships, but claimed plenty of notable scalps throughout the tournament. Todd Woodbridge, who had won his ninth Wimbledon men’s doubles title just 12 months earlier, was sent packing into retirement after he and Mahesh Bhupathi fell to the newcomers in the second round, then in the semis they defeated Jonas Bjorkman (who had partnered Woodbridge to victory in 2002, 2003 and 2004) and Max Mirnyi.

To cap things off in the final, they defeated the legendary Bryan brothers, perhaps the best doubles pairing of the decade, in four sets. For the two victors, this would prove to be the pinnacle of their careers. Huss did win in Beijing in 2008 alongside Ross Hutchins, while Moodie won at Queen’s in 2009 with Mikhail Youzhny. Grand Slam success however came along just this once.

2005: First wheelchair tennis match at The Championships

In 2005, The Championships featured the introduction of men’s wheelchair doubles. The event was a significant step in integrating wheelchair tennis into the most traditional setting in the sport and showed that elite wheelchair tennis could successfully be adapted to grass courts. The inaugural title was won by Michaël Jérémiasz and Jayant Mistry, and the matches laid the foundations for the growth of wheelchair events at Wimbledon in the years that followed.

2006: Agassi’s last match

Was it a changing of the guard? Not quite, but it was certainly symbolic. A balding, 36-year-old American was dispatched in straight sets by a Spaniard 16 years his junior, complete with flowing locks and a pirate’s bandana.

It was probably more ironic than symbolic. Back in the day, it was Andre Agassi who created a stir around his hair, his accessories and his return of service. And after 134 minutes of play followed by a far-from-traditional on-court interview, Agassi’s Wimbledon career was over, beaten by a young Rafael Nadal. As a 17-year-old prodigy from the Nick Bollettieri academy, he won a mere five games against Henri Leconte in his debut and vowed never to return. He finally came back in 1991 and the following year, despite a few warnings from umpires for some very un-Wimbledonesque language, he defeated Goran Ivanisevic in a five-set epic. His only disappointment that year was not being able to dance with ladies’ singles winner Steffi Graf at the Champions’ Ball, but that pleasure would come later.

Indeed, he would return alongside Stefanie Graf-Agassi in 2009 for the Centre Court celebration. In the intervening years he had won the US, Australian and French Opens to become the first man to win all four Grand Slams on three different surfaces. He had earned that on-court interview in 2006, and the showman and contrarian in him revelled in the fact that he had engineered a break with tradition “in the place that first taught me to respect the sport”, as he himself put it as he bowed out.

2007: Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal

It was not surprising that ‘The Ice Man’, Bjorn Borg, betrayed no emotion as he watched Roger Federer’s bid to equal his record of five successive Wimbledon titles.

The world No.1 was undefeated in 33 matches at the All England Club going into the final, but standing in his path was Rafael Nadal, who had beaten the Swiss in the French Open final just weeks before.

Having won the third set in a tie-breaker, the usually unflappable Federer became frustrated by his relentless opponent and a succession of Hawk-Eye’s calls that went against him. Nadal stormed into a 5-1 lead in the fourth but was then forced to call for the trainer to have his right knee taped. Inclement weather meant that the Majorcan had not had a day's rest since the start of the second week. Though Nadal won the fourth set 6-2, Federer could smell blood in the water. His mind was in total lock-down, focused on winning and winning alone, and he raced away to claim his fifth Wimbledon trophy 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-2 in 225 minutes.

2007: Equal prize money

After at least a year’s brouhaha during which Venus Williams, Billie Jean King and even then British Prime Minister Tony Blair added their two pennies’ worth on the subject, the All England Club decided in 2007 to award equal prize money to both men and women across the board, from the champions down to the first-round losers in all events.

The princely sum of £11,282,710 was split evenly, with winners Roger Federer and Venus Williams pocketing £700,000 each for their fortnight’s work. "Tennis is one of the few sports in which women and men compete in the same event at the same time," said Tim Phillips, Chairman of the All England Club.

"We believe our decision to offer equal prize money provides a boost for the game as a whole and recognises the enormous contribution that women players make to the game and to Wimbledon. We hope it will also encourage girls who want a career in sport to choose tennis as their best option. In short, good for tennis, good for women players and good for Wimbledon."

2007: Hawk-Eye

The 2007 Wimbledon Championships saw the All England Club deploy Hawk-Eye for the first time as electronic line-calling technology on Centre and No.1 courts.

The move followed successful testing to verify the accuracy of the system on grass as well as agreement of the protocol to be adopted when using the system – namely that Wimbledon would allow for three incorrect challenges in a set, an increase from the previous figure of two used at the US and Australian Opens.

Whilst the name "Hawk-Eye" has obvious connotations of pin-point vision, it actually comes from the system’s inventor, Dr Paul Hawkins, whose innovation was first used in the 2001 Ashes cricket series. It was used as part of television coverage for the Davis Cup in 2002, and debuted at a Grand Slam in Australia in 2003.

Hawk-Eye replaced the previous "Cyclops" system, which involved infra-red beams used to determine whether services were in or out.