Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is one of the most prestigious as well. The tournament has been held since 1877 and is still the only tennis major to be played on grass. The Open Era in Wimbledon began in April 1968 when the professional players were allowed to compete with the amateurs, and in the last 57 years, only three unseeded players have ended up becoming the champion across men and women.
1. Boris Becker
Legendary Boris Becker was the first player to do the unthinkable as he lifted the men's singles title when he was only 17. He defeated the 8th-seeded Kevin Curren in the final, 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–4 to become the first ever unseeded player to win the Wimbledon men's singles title. At the time, he was also the youngest ever male singles champion (in major tournaments) at the age of 17 years, 7 months, and 15 days. It was just the start of a promising career then, as Becker won Wimbledon two more times in 1986 and 1989. He also won the Australian Open twice (1991 and 1996) and the US Open once in 1989.
2. Goran Ivanišević
It took 16 more years for another player to replicate the Boris Becker feat and it was Goran Ivanišević from Croatia who turned heads in 2001. In an era when players like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were among the top-seeded players, Goran, ranked 125 in the world, won the men's singles title at Wimbledon. Interestingly, he was not only unseeded but was a wild-card entrant in the tournament. Goran defeated third-seeded Patrick Rafter in the final 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6, 9–7. Ivanišević entered Wimbledon ranked 125th in the world, and after winning his first and only major, his ranking improved to 16 as he jumped a staggering 109 places.
3. Markéta Vondroušová
Markéta Vondroušová of the Czech Republic became the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon in the singles category in 2023. She defeated sixth-seeded Ons Jabeur in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to lift the title. Not that she won the grand slam tournament out of the blue. Markéta was also the runner-up at the 2019 French Open and won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She is also competing in the Wimbledon this year as an unseeded player and will be hoping to repeat her heroics from the 2023 edition.
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