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Since tennis became a prominent sport, there have been countless tournaments for professional players. People from all over the world have stunned fans with their outstanding performances.
However, there is no such tournament as prestigious as the legendary Wimbledon tennis tournament. It is one of the four Grand slams played around the globe. The other three are U.S. Open, Australian Open, and French Open.
On the 9th of July, 1877, Wimbledon hosted the first-ever tennis tournament. And it was officially commenced by the All England Croquet and Lawn tennis Club.
Since that day, the Wimbledon tournament has been crowned the most important event on the tennis calendar. They are famous for their prestige and relevance in sport.
Wimbledon is the oldest and the most celebrated Grand slam among all. Moreover, out of all the Grand slams, it is the only one still played on grass – they claim that it's the way tennis should be played.
Unfortunately, the 2020 edition of the historical tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This was quite a milestone because the only times the tournament was canceled in the past were during World War I and World War II.
Whether you play, watch, or report on tennis, you must have an idea of the significance of this great tournament.
Moreover, the relevance of this event is expected to grow in the future, all thanks to the increasing number of viewers and exorbitant revenues.
Unfortunately, due to the cancellation of the Wimbledon tournament in 2020, fans were highly disappointed. It was a dark year not just for tennis but for everything.
However, things are back to normal this year, and consequently, there were some huge expectations from the Wimbledon tournament 2021.
So without further ado, let's discuss the highlights of a memorable tournament full of excitement and passion.
Ashleigh Barty, The Women's Champion
Ashleigh Barty was the Wimbledon women's winner in 2021. She is currently a professional tennis player from Australia but used to be a cricketer.
Barty defeated Karolína Plíšková in 3 sets in the ultimate fight by 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. She became the first woman from Australia to win the female singles final in 41 years.
As a result, she is listed at the top of Female singles by the WTA. In addition, Ashleigh is also a top-10 player in the Female doubles category by accomplishing eleven medals of doubles.
Through her varied success, she now ranks in the top 5 players in the world. Moreover, Barty has received twelve singles championships and one Grand Slam title en route to the victory.
And 2021 signaled her second Grand Slam crown and 1st Wimbledon triumph.
Novak Djokovic Has Done It Again
Novak Djokovic bagged another one, and he dominated everyone in this tournament. It is safe to say that he is in his prime and has been there for years.
Djokovic has no plans to rest until he is named the greatest of all time – a feat not too easy to accomplish.
A lot of the tennis experts are already calling him the best tennis player alive. With this record-tying 20th major title win, he is already proving his point.
However, his tired legs couldn't emulate the feat at the Tokyo Olympics.
The legendary race between the big three of tennis, Roger Federer, Rafal Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, is not ending soon, and the fans do not wish otherwise.
Despite Djokovic's dominating victory, the race is still on, and both the other competitors are expected to bounce back even harder in future tournaments.
However, till then, Novak can celebrate his victory and handsome winnings.
Biggest Tennis Tournament In The World
Speaking of winnings, you're probably asking yourself: "what is the prize money for Wimbledon?"
Unfortunately, there's a moderate drop winnings pool this year due to the championship cancellation in 2020.
Nevertheless, the Wimbledon winners receive a delightful, massive check. The overall prize amount was approximately $48 million (£35,016,000) in 2021.
In this championship, the singles prize winners (gentlemen and gentlewomen) received nearly $2.4million. In comparison, Wimbledon champions in the doubles category earned $677,607.
Meanwhile, the runners-up, semi-finalists, and quarter-finalists, got $1.6 million, $813,114.53, and $405,782.87, respectively.
Highlights Of Wimbledon 2021
This year welcomed a collective sigh of relief from spectators, as it had been two years since the event last took place - indeed, a milestone in Wimbledon history.
Read on as we detail how it unfolded:
The Race Is On
With his 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 dominating victory in the finals against Matteo Berrettini, Novak Djokovic has bagged his 20th major title. This win has tied him with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in terms of most titles.
After winning the tournament, Novak Djokovic credited the other two G.O.A.Ts for his success and helping him become the player he is today. His tribute ended with him dubbing them the living legends of the sport.
Moreover, he said he considers them the most important competitors as they helped him realize his weak points. Novak credited them for his improvement, mentally, physically, and tactically.
Now, the score's level among the big three, they need one more major title win to break the record. When was Djokovic asked what this means to him? He replied with a laugh.
The Rising Stars
Despite Djokovic's dominating victories, it is criminally unfair to neglect the performances of new stars. Novak has encountered three highly talented players in the finals, and the all-time favorites Federer and Nadal were not one of them.
Nevertheless, the new talent, the young blood, and the next big things of tennis showed their potential and proved that the future of tennis is in safe hands.
Berrettini, 25, had managed to stun Djokovic in the opening set and looked very strong at the start. However, Stefanos Tsitsipas, 22, won the first two sets and posed a threat to the great Djokovic in the final at Roland Garros.
Other than that, Daniil Medvedev, 25, despite not bringing his A-game in the Australian Open final, has managed to secure a number 2 position this year.
Additionally, The fresh tennis talent, including Wimbledon semi-finalists Denis Shapovalov and Hubert Hurkacz, showed great potential.
Perhaps, whats gives us hope for the future is that all of them seemed eager to take the torch from all-time greatest; the big three of tennis.
Berrettini's Lesson
Djokovic believes that Federer and Nadal and the healthy competition between them made him improve his game. Due to the race to be on the top, he always gave his 100%.
After losing the finals to Djokovic, the question is how Berrettini is going to take defeat. Will he consider this defeat a stepping stone, a lesson, and an opportunity to improve his game?
The thing that differentiates good players from great ones is learning from losses positively. Every failure is an opportunity to grow and improve.
The Italian player has shown potential and the willpower to be on the top. Now all he needs to do is step up, maintain his level, and he may be one of the future Wimbledon men winners.
There Was A Full Crowd!
Since the 2020 tournament was canceled due to the pandemic, the 2021 Wimbledon tournament was expected to experience a substantial amount of people.
However, the gigantic crowd watching the games not just met but exceeded all expectations. The crowd was overwhelming, and it made the matches nail-biting.
In the end, the 2021 Wimbledon tournament was a huge success. The Centre Court hosted a full house, making Wimbledon the first to achieve this success.
Next stop: Tokyo
The next stop was Tokyo. The pandemic-delayed Olympic Games in Tokyo posed an excellent opportunity for many players to show the world what they were made of.
However, many stars were not fortunate enough to make the cut, including Williams, Nadal, Dominic Thiem, and Nick Kyrgios.
Despite the absence of these stars, the show was undoubtedly outstanding and full of action. After losing in the third round at Wimbledon, Andy Murray looked for redemption in the Olympics by defending his title but ultimately failed.
The men's singles gold went to Alexand Zverev, silver to Karen Khachanov, and bronze to Pablo Carreño Busta.
Meanwhile, the women's singles gold was won by Belinda Bencic, with Markéta Vondroušová taking silver and Elina Svitolina taking home bronze.
Furthermore, the men's doubles gold was shared by Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic, with the women's doubles gold going to the team of Kateřina Siniaková and Barbora Krejčíková.
And lastly, the mixed doubles gold was shared by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev.
Therefore, despite their dominance in the Grand Slams, the big three ultimately failed to impact the Olympics. However, the Grand Slams mean more to tennis professionals.
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