Sure, a wild card has gained Wimbledon.
Goran Ivanišević turned the primary—and to this point solely—wild card to win a Wimbledon singles title when he lifted the Gents’s Singles trophy in 2001.
The Croatian entered the event ranked one hundred and twenty fifth on the planet and defeated Patrick Rafter in a dramatic five-set remaining.
No wild card has gained the Girls’ Singles title, though wildcard entries have gained each the Gents’s and Girls’ Doubles competitions.
Wimbledon Wild Card Champions
| Occasion | Wildcard champion | 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Gents’s Singles | Goran Ivanišević | 2001 |
| Girls’ Singles | None | — |
| Gents’s Doubles | Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen | 2012 |
| Girls’ Doubles | Serena Williams and Venus Williams | 2000 and 2002 |
Wimbledon’s official information subsequently checklist 5 wildcard championship victories throughout three occasions, with Ivanišević remaining the one singles champion.
Goran Ivanišević’s Historic 2001 Wimbledon Victory
Ivanišević’s victory is considered one of many biggest underdog tales in tennis historical past.
He had beforehand reached the Wimbledon remaining thrice, shedding to Andre Agassi in 1992 and Pete Sampras in 1994 and 1998. Nonetheless, accidents and poor kind brought about his rating to fall exterior the extent required for direct entry into the 2001 event.
Ivanišević was ranked world No.125 and had been battling a shoulder damage severe sufficient to make him think about retirement. Wimbledon however awarded him a wild card due to his earlier success on the event.
He made the many of the alternative.
Ivanišević’s Path to the 2001 Wimbledon Title
| Spherical | Opponent |
|---|---|
| First Spherical | Fredrik Jonsson |
| Second Spherical | Carlos Moyá |
| Third Spherical | Andy Roddick |
| Fourth Spherical | Greg Rusedski |
| Quarter-final | Marat Safin |
| Semi-final | Tim Henman |
| Closing | Patrick Rafter |
His path included victories over a number of established or future world No.1 gamers, together with Carlos Moyá, Andy Roddick, Marat Safin and Patrick Rafter.
The semi-final in opposition to British favorite Tim Henman was performed over three days due to rain delays. Ivanišević recovered after shedding the third set 6-0 to win 7-5, 6-7, 0-6, 7-6, 6-3.
The 2001 Wimbledon Closing
Ivanišević confronted third seed Patrick Rafter within the remaining on Monday, July 9, 2001.
The match was performed on the third Monday of the event after rain disrupted the schedule. 1000’s of normal ticket holders had been capable of attend what turned generally known as “Folks’s Monday”, creating an unusually loud and emotional ambiance on Centre Court docket.
Ivanišević defeated Rafter:
6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7
The Croatian finally transformed his fourth championship level earlier than falling to the courtroom in tears. It was his first and solely Grand Slam singles title.
The victory additionally made Ivanišević the lowest-ranked participant to win the Wimbledon males’s singles title and the primary wildcard entrant to win a Grand Slam singles event.
Has a Feminine Wild Card Ever Gained Wimbledon?
No participant has gained the Wimbledon Girls’ Singles title after coming into the event as a wild card.
Nonetheless, Serena and Venus Williams gained the Girls’ Doubles as wildcard entries in each 2000 and 2002.
The sisters went on to win six Wimbledon doubles titles collectively, however their victories in 2000 and 2002 are the one events on which a wildcard workforce has gained the Girls’ Doubles title.
Have Wild Playing cards Gained the Wimbledon Males’s Doubles?
Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen turned the primary wildcard workforce to win the Wimbledon Gents’s Doubles title in 2012.
The British-Danish partnership defeated Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecău in a five-set remaining:
4-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3
Their run included a semi-final victory over defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan. Marray additionally turned the primary British man to win the Wimbledon males’s doubles title since Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey in 1936.
Arthur Fery’s Wildcard Run at Wimbledon 2026
British participant Arthur Fery got here near following Ivanišević’s historic path at Wimbledon in 2026.
Fery entered the Gents’s Singles as a wild card and have become the primary wildcard participant in 25 years to succeed in the Wimbledon males’s semi-finals. His quarter-final victory over Flavio Cobolli additionally moved him to a projected career-high place of No.36 within the dwell ATP rankings.
He was the primary wildcard males’s semi-finalist at Wimbledon since Ivanišević’s title-winning run in 2001.
What Is a Wimbledon Wild Card?
A wild card permits a participant to enter the primary draw with out qualifying via their rating or the Wimbledon qualifying event.
Wimbledon has awarded wild playing cards since 1977. They’re generally given to:
- Promising British gamers
- Former champions or main gamers getting back from damage
- Gamers whose rating doesn’t mirror their potential
- Gamers who’ve carried out properly throughout the grass-court season
A wild card doesn’t present any further safety as soon as the event begins. The participant enters the identical draw and should win seven matches to assert a singles title.
Continuously Requested Questions
Who’s the one wild card to win Wimbledon singles?
Goran Ivanišević is the one wildcard entrant to win a Wimbledon singles title. He gained the Gents’s Singles in 2001.
What was Goran Ivanišević’s rating when he gained Wimbledon?
Ivanišević was ranked world No.125 when he entered Wimbledon in 2001. His rating rose to No.16 following his victory.
Who did Goran Ivanišević beat within the Wimbledon remaining?
He defeated Australian Patrick Rafter 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 within the 2001 remaining.
Has a girl gained Wimbledon singles as a wild card?
No. A wildcard entrant has by no means gained the Wimbledon Girls’ Singles title.
Have wild playing cards gained different Wimbledon occasions?
Sure. Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen gained the Gents’s Doubles in 2012, whereas Serena and Venus Williams gained the Girls’ Doubles as wild playing cards in 2000 and 2002.
Closing Reply
Goran Ivanišević is the one participant to have gained a Wimbledon singles title as a wild card.
His 2001 victory was notably outstanding as a result of he entered the event ranked No.125, having misplaced three earlier Wimbledon finals and struggled with a severe shoulder damage.
Wildcard groups have subsequently gained Wimbledon doubles titles, however Ivanišević stays the one wildcard singles champion within the event’s historical past.
Trending Merchandise
