0:00:07 > 0:00:12Wimbledon is the tournament I have played the most and the one I want
0:00:12 > 0:00:17to win the most. Champions will be walking on water next. It is the
0:00:17 > 0:00:22one everybody knows. People who do not know tennis No Wimbledon. It is
0:00:22 > 0:00:29the biggest tenants tournament in the world. Just to be here, to walk
0:00:29 > 0:00:33around the club is fantastic. very pleased to think I have at
0:00:33 > 0:00:37last fulfilled the trust placed in me by the Lawn Tennis Association
0:00:37 > 0:00:41and carry off the title at Wimbledon. My life had been turned
0:00:41 > 0:00:51round by a couple of things, my music and my Christian faith but
0:00:51 > 0:00:57
0:00:57 > 0:01:02Wimbledon, becoming a member was Since 1877, a leafy green Barot of
0:01:02 > 0:01:07London has been the home of the world's greatest tennis tournament.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12For two weeks in high summer, it is the centre of the sporting world.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17Wimbledon reaches 125 this year and they have never needed an excuse to
0:01:17 > 0:01:21have a party. Throughout its life, Wimbledon has been a place of
0:01:21 > 0:01:29triumph and disaster, of Hope and heartache, of victors and the
0:01:29 > 0:01:36vanquished but ultimately, it is a place of titles and champions.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40is magical for me. That was the sight of my first win. Great
0:01:40 > 0:01:44memories for us. It is such a special place.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49Spanning three centuries, Wimbledon has thrown up countless stories.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Here are just a few. There is nothing like it when you look at it.
0:01:53 > 0:01:59Whether you are there in person, the smell of it all when you are
0:01:59 > 0:02:02watching on TV. The best moment in the world. I think if you speak to
0:02:02 > 0:02:10the majority of the players, they would save there was one tournament
0:02:10 > 0:02:14you could win, which would it be, it would be Wimbledon. It ranks
0:02:14 > 0:02:24with the great events, the Tour de France for cyclists, the Masters
0:02:24 > 0:02:35
0:02:35 > 0:02:42What child had ever picked up a tennis racket in anger had ever
0:02:42 > 0:02:46dreamed of being Wimbledon champion? Game, set and match,
0:02:46 > 0:02:51Sampras. Start them young, isn't that what
0:02:51 > 0:03:00they say? One American dad did just that and as his girls grow up, so
0:03:00 > 0:03:04the Championships new millennium became a family affair. Sisters.
0:03:04 > 0:03:12remember interviewing the nurse at Wimbledon. She had a little junior
0:03:12 > 0:03:17sister with her. -- Venus. Up I asked if she played tennis. She
0:03:17 > 0:03:25said she will be better than me one day. I said, sure! Needless to say,
0:03:25 > 0:03:30she did. The Williams sisters is one of the most amazing stories in
0:03:30 > 0:03:35tennis. They had no tennis heritage, if you like but through passion and
0:03:35 > 0:03:39determination, a great example set by their father, they dominated the
0:03:39 > 0:03:48game. They have certainly dominated here at Wimbledon over the last
0:03:48 > 0:03:54decade. It is a long way from Compton, a
0:03:54 > 0:03:58tough suburb in Los Angeles to Centre Court. But Mr Williams new
0:03:58 > 0:04:02hard work would fuel the journey. Even at school we were not allowed
0:04:02 > 0:04:09to bring home anything less than a B. There were high expectations
0:04:09 > 0:04:14always. For two sisters to come up and be world number one and no. Two
0:04:14 > 0:04:20is an incredible story. To create a champion takes so much work and a
0:04:20 > 0:04:24lot of dedication. To do what my dad did not once, but with two, is
0:04:24 > 0:04:33unbelievable. It is a lot of work and it is a lot of talent. It takes
0:04:33 > 0:04:37a lot of love. Let's applaud what these two sisters have done. No one
0:04:37 > 0:04:44can touch them. When they come on the grass courts at Wimbledon, they
0:04:44 > 0:04:49are in a different league to other people. We have brought some of our
0:04:49 > 0:04:53best tennis to Wimbledon and why not? This is the place to do it. It
0:04:53 > 0:05:00is an amazing venue with the history and to be a part of it is
0:05:00 > 0:05:10truly awesome. It has a special place in our heart. When we were
0:05:10 > 0:05:11
0:05:11 > 0:05:16younger, but all I did was think about Wimbledon.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20I first started going there was when I was a kid. The first time I
0:05:20 > 0:05:25saw Centre Court was when I worked on it. This is where it all started
0:05:25 > 0:05:31for me. All the way from the juniors and even further back,
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Becker and Edberg. I was sitting in my living room watching them play.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39I remember walking through the gates, the incredible iron gates.
0:05:39 > 0:05:46As a kid they seemed enormous and the pillars which were there. I
0:05:46 > 0:05:52thought, this is the home of tennis. I remember watching it from 6, 7
0:05:52 > 0:05:56years old, seeing Billie-Jean King and Rod Laver.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01All great sporting events are defined by eras and from the mid-
0:06:01 > 0:06:0950s to the early 70s, Wimbledon's accent had a decidedly Australian
0:06:09 > 0:06:14twang. The Aussies to cost three film from black and white to colour.
0:06:14 > 0:06:21They were stars, all, but the brightest star of South West 19's
0:06:21 > 0:06:27Southern Cross was Rod Laver. Rocket. Even before Labour won the
0:06:28 > 0:06:32title, the champion's potential was evident -- even before Rod Laver
0:06:32 > 0:06:40won the title. His power and movement around the court
0:06:40 > 0:06:45transformed the game people knew. It was almost difficult to see the
0:06:45 > 0:06:54ball and this commentary position. As John F Kennedy hit the White
0:06:54 > 0:07:00House, so what hit the jackpot at Wimbledon. A year later, his second
0:07:00 > 0:07:05title came as part of a Grand Slam. I love everything about Wimbledon,
0:07:05 > 0:07:10the atmosphere, the crowd, they are so knowledgeable and tradition
0:07:10 > 0:07:14always brought the best players. I played my best tennis there. The
0:07:14 > 0:07:21whole thing, that was my impression of England, it was tennis at its
0:07:21 > 0:07:28best. What came next was a shock. The rocket turned professional. In
0:07:28 > 0:07:35a period where only amateurs played the majors, Rod Laver was lost to
0:07:35 > 0:07:40Wimbledon for five years. Two championship points. It is Rod
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Laver! He has won it! Rod Laver won Wimbledon's first Open Championship
0:07:45 > 0:07:54and repeated the dose 12 months on as he completed yet another Grand
0:07:55 > 0:07:59
0:07:59 > 0:08:05Grand Slam as an amateur, Grand Slam as a professional, a unique
0:08:05 > 0:08:11place in the game. Will we ever see his like again? As sure as champion
0:08:11 > 0:08:15follows champion, so it era follows an era. Rod Laver breathed new life
0:08:15 > 0:08:21into the fledgling years of open tennis but what was to come was a
0:08:21 > 0:08:27seismic shift. Ken Rosewall's defeat by Jimmy Connors signified
0:08:27 > 0:08:31the end of Australia's lead. Tennis moved from the realm of sport to
0:08:31 > 0:08:38the realm of showbiz. We were beginning to find a niche in
0:08:38 > 0:08:46television and that made us famous. They were not just tennis players,
0:08:46 > 0:08:51they were superstars in sport. golden age. Our games were matched
0:08:51 > 0:08:55in some ways. Mind and Bjorn Borg's games were matched. He never said a
0:08:55 > 0:09:05word, I said everything. When I played McEnroe, who was going to
0:09:05 > 0:09:11
0:09:11 > 0:09:16UMPIRE: Play elect, please. The court came before -- the call came
0:09:16 > 0:09:24before the balls played. He never called it, he never said anything.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28Playing against McEnroe was not a tennis match, it was more. I think
0:09:28 > 0:09:33they are responsible for why tennis is as popular today as it is. They
0:09:33 > 0:09:38are responsible for the prize money and the sponsorship. They brought
0:09:38 > 0:09:44in people who did not care about tennis, to be a part of it and to
0:09:44 > 0:09:53wonder, if he is going out and if he is at Annabel's, how is he going
0:09:53 > 0:09:59to play the next day? We are going to jump on bat. Aug is the guy I
0:09:59 > 0:10:04remember seeing the crazy Beetle mania, the tennis version of it
0:10:04 > 0:10:10thinking I have got to get there. You always anticipate Bjorn Borg.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16You cannot fool him like I did with other players. He never reacted.
0:10:16 > 0:10:24That upset me more. Also, when you come to the dressing room, he was
0:10:24 > 0:10:29the same person. You never saw him through the issues or whatever. If
0:10:29 > 0:10:32he was losing, he was the same as when he was winning. I called him
0:10:32 > 0:10:38the Martian, like he was from another planet. There was no
0:10:38 > 0:10:43pressure on me the first year. Bjorn Borg was 2-1, John McEnroe
0:10:43 > 0:10:49was 300 to one. I thought, I cannot believe I am in the same list as
0:10:49 > 0:10:54these guys. Jimmy was someone, it was hard to get behind him. He was
0:10:54 > 0:10:58an incredible player but he put it in your face. McEnroe and I butted
0:10:58 > 0:11:06heads from the beginning. Just before we walked on court, he gave
0:11:06 > 0:11:12me a look to say, you better not be He did not call. A UMPIRE: Play a
0:11:12 > 0:11:22let, please. Can I have the referee, please?
0:11:22 > 0:11:23
0:11:23 > 0:11:27To have had a rivalry with one is something. I had one with two.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32finest was the legendary Bjorn Borg McEnroe match. I did not commentate
0:11:32 > 0:11:38on it but I was there and saw it. I will never get over that. It was
0:11:38 > 0:11:42wonderful. Bjorn Borg was already a hero of mine. I had been playing
0:11:42 > 0:11:48tennis for a couple of years. I did not like McEnroe so I wanted Bjorn
0:11:48 > 0:11:55Borg to win. I felt like I was going to win it. I felt like it was
0:11:55 > 0:12:00my time. I had been through a lot. Some of it was my fault. And
0:12:00 > 0:12:10suddenly, it all started turning in this horrendous direction. He was
0:12:10 > 0:12:14
0:12:14 > 0:12:17getting to me mentally. Then it became magical for a while.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21There was a feeling in the crowd. Something unusual is happening, you
0:12:22 > 0:12:31could really sense that. It was the first time I had experienced on a
0:12:32 > 0:12:35
0:12:35 > 0:12:39After that 4th set, walking to the chair to change side, I think I had
0:12:39 > 0:12:45never felt so bad in my entire life. That was probably the worst moment
0:12:45 > 0:12:49I had had since I was born. Losing seven match points, playing in the
0:12:49 > 0:12:545th Wimbledon, playing against John McEnroe, having seven match points
0:12:54 > 0:12:59and not winning one of them. I thought, I will use this match. I
0:12:59 > 0:13:03have no chance. I remember sitting on the changeover thinking, now I
0:13:04 > 0:13:13have got it. And slowly, my thoughts started to focus more on
0:13:14 > 0:13:26
0:13:26 > 0:13:29That relief after I did not believe it. The emotions after winning the
0:13:29 > 0:13:34match and then suddenly losing the match and then I am here again
0:13:34 > 0:13:39winning the match. I thought, how does this guy have this will? Where
0:13:39 > 0:13:44did he find this extra bit of motivation and desire? As much as I
0:13:44 > 0:13:53thought I had wanted it, I had to want it more to win it. 12 months
0:13:53 > 0:14:03on, McEnroe's hunger was satisfied. Perhaps he did not want it as much
0:14:03 > 0:14:05
0:14:05 > 0:14:09as he wanted it before. I knew I wanted it more.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14As for Bjorn Borg, he would never play at the Championships again.
0:14:14 > 0:14:20While it may take a lifetime of sacrifice, dedication and hard work
0:14:20 > 0:14:24to try and win at the All-England Club, the moment of victory is
0:14:24 > 0:14:29fleeting. What do you do? You may throw your racket in the air. You
0:14:29 > 0:14:33may decide to jump the net and console your opponent. You might
0:14:33 > 0:14:38sink to your knees. You might even seek out a precedent and seek out
0:14:38 > 0:14:48your family. However, Russia's first Wimbledon singles champion
0:14:48 > 0:14:54
0:14:54 > 0:14:57My mum was flying up to New York and that is where we were going to
0:14:57 > 0:15:07meet after the final. They have televisions on the plane. I tried
0:15:07 > 0:15:11to call her. I wanted to share the good news. Could you get a signal
0:15:11 > 0:15:17on the mobile phone? I was trying to call her and it keeps turning
0:15:17 > 0:15:23off. Technology, come on. Her phone was off because she was flying. She
0:15:23 > 0:15:27was watching the call her from Centre Court. Knowing that my name
0:15:27 > 0:15:37is on that plate and I am part of Wimbledon's history makes me very
0:15:37 > 0:15:39
0:15:39 > 0:15:45The 1970s were a time of major industrial upheaval in Britain.
0:15:45 > 0:15:55Even the manicured lawns of SW19 were not immune to the effect of
0:15:55 > 0:15:56
0:15:56 > 0:16:02poor labour relations. 1,200 Miles away in the town of Split on the
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Dalmatian coast. His behaviour, refusing to play for you --
0:16:05 > 0:16:10Yugoslavia in the Davis Cup has divided the loyalty of his team-
0:16:10 > 0:16:15mate. If anybody can prove he did break his word, promised to play
0:16:15 > 0:16:19and went back on his word. sincerely hope they don't boycott
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Wimbledon or do anything to harm it. The power struggle between the
0:16:22 > 0:16:27players' association and the sport's governing body saw most of
0:16:27 > 0:16:31the top male stars miss the tournament in 73. The Wimbledon
0:16:31 > 0:16:36authorities cannot make us play. No tournament, no tennis event can
0:16:36 > 0:16:40make anybody play. There have been attempts which we felt were
0:16:40 > 0:16:50slightly dirty, of having national associations put pressure on
0:16:50 > 0:16:51
0:16:52 > 0:16:56individual members. It was a hard person to go against him. He said
0:16:56 > 0:17:06you cannot boycott a tournament like Wimbledon. I am sorry I cannot
0:17:06 > 0:17:11stay with the player. Simply, I'm sorry I cannot play Wimbledon.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14feels he is taking the rap for the apparently inevitable break down of
0:17:14 > 0:17:21the tennis world outdated regulations. It needn't have
0:17:21 > 0:17:27happened and it is a bad thing it has. I think, myself and the public,
0:17:27 > 0:17:34are behind us. Devine Wimbledon can manage without him? The public are
0:17:34 > 0:17:38here, aren't they? The crowds were just as big. The cheers were just
0:17:38 > 0:17:42as loud. Everybody was just as nervous. It is almost as if
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Wimbledon is Wimbledon, it doesn't matter who is there and who is
0:17:48 > 0:17:52playing. Bjorn Borg was coming through, Roger Taylor, there were
0:17:52 > 0:18:02so many stories surrounding the men's game that it didn't detract
0:18:02 > 0:18:05from the Championships in any way, Queen Victoria had been on the
0:18:06 > 0:18:12throne for more than 40 years when in the tournament infancy one man
0:18:12 > 0:18:17stood above all others. He was William Renshaw and he won seven
0:18:17 > 0:18:24times. More than a century later someone at last equalled that feet
0:18:24 > 0:18:29as a man from the West assembled his very own this magnificent seven.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34He is the reason why I decided to stop. On my best day at his best
0:18:35 > 0:18:38day he would always be the better. I never like to say anybody is
0:18:38 > 0:18:43better than Rod Laver and Roger Federer was the most beautiful
0:18:43 > 0:18:47player I ever watched play at Wimbledon. I came on tour and he
0:18:47 > 0:18:52was the superstar he was. He would be in the locker room but I
0:18:52 > 0:19:01wouldn't speak to hit him because I had so much respect for him. Bash
0:19:01 > 0:19:05speak to him. Pistol. When Pete goes out there he does his thing.
0:19:05 > 0:19:15It is making you uncomfortable and not allowing you to get into any
0:19:15 > 0:19:21
0:19:21 > 0:19:30He will be walking on water next. In those types of moments they
0:19:30 > 0:19:35proved time and time again he had that little something extra. Some
0:19:35 > 0:19:45terrible matches. If I could play him first week I would beat him for
0:19:45 > 0:19:46
0:19:46 > 0:19:55sure. Game, set, and match, Sampras. The greatest grass-court player in
0:19:55 > 0:20:05the history of tennis. Game, set and match, Sampras. It was kind of
0:20:05 > 0:20:08
0:20:08 > 0:20:14a storybook ending a I have always Perennial champions make women look
0:20:14 > 0:20:20easy. But it isn't. You have to fight. -- make winning look easy.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24You have defied the demons within. Fight your opponent. Occasional
0:20:24 > 0:20:34champions have one more fight to fight. The realisation that they
0:20:34 > 0:20:57
0:20:57 > 0:21:02It is good. I lost to John Novotna New balls please. The third double
0:21:03 > 0:21:08fault today. He could not have come at a worse moment. Two breaks
0:21:08 > 0:21:15behind in this final set. From an impregnable position Novotna
0:21:15 > 0:21:22snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Advantage, Miss Graf.
0:21:22 > 0:21:32should have won. I was disappointed the person that be needed a win. --
0:21:32 > 0:21:42
0:21:42 > 0:21:46That is it. 2-1. She was so bitterly disappointed I felt sorry
0:21:46 > 0:21:56for hire. Novotna in her first Wimbledon final, certainly not
0:21:56 > 0:21:59disgraced. Overcome with the emotion of it all. When the duchess
0:21:59 > 0:22:04was handing the the trophy she was kind enough to tell me I didn't
0:22:04 > 0:22:14need to worry, I would win Wimbledon in the next few years,
0:22:14 > 0:22:18
0:22:18 > 0:22:23She was an emotional person. She probably felt that was the time for
0:22:23 > 0:22:28her to step up. It is one of her best surfaces to play on. That
0:22:28 > 0:22:38would have been a dream come true. I can completely understand how
0:22:38 > 0:22:39
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I think this has helped me a lot. It has made me more popular and it
0:22:43 > 0:22:47definitely it was a very good publicity. I remember the next
0:22:47 > 0:22:55morning buying the newspapers and I was on the front page and Steffi
0:22:55 > 0:22:59Graf was on the back. I think people were just happy to see some
0:22:59 > 0:23:09emotions. They were happy to see that as tennis players are not as
0:23:09 > 0:23:16
0:23:16 > 0:23:21cold as ice. -- that we tennis She has done it. Sometimes you have
0:23:21 > 0:23:26to experience the lows to enjoy the highs. Five years on, she did just
0:23:26 > 0:23:34that. Her meeting with the Duchess in 1998 was an altogether different
0:23:34 > 0:23:40experience. This is bound to be a very emotional moment. Last year
0:23:40 > 0:23:50the Dutch are said to her, don't worry, it might be third time lucky
0:23:50 > 0:23:56
0:23:56 > 0:24:06All my life I worked a lot to be there at Wimbledon all my life was
0:24:06 > 0:24:07
0:24:07 > 0:24:12All the tennis players will tell you, even if they don't like
0:24:12 > 0:24:15playing on grass much, they think Wimbledon is number one. In 2000
0:24:15 > 0:24:21and tent the tournament started as it normally did on the Monday, but
0:24:21 > 0:24:24this was no ordinary Monday. It was 21st June, the longest day. Tuesday,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29it would her now, it was no ordinary Tuesday either at the end
0:24:29 > 0:24:37of the longest day was followed by the beginning of the longest match.
0:24:37 > 0:24:47After the first day it was a normal match. This kind of match happens
0:24:47 > 0:24:55
0:24:56 > 0:25:0568 games all. During three days, tonight, I was just thinking about
0:25:06 > 0:25:21
0:25:21 > 0:25:27The match was -- to make the match didn't belong, I was Vegas, I was
0:25:27 > 0:25:32in his own. If your name is not on the list you are not coming in. The
0:25:32 > 0:25:40hottest ticket in the capital. The World Press in attendance.
0:25:40 > 0:25:45Everybody wanted to watch this Never Ending match. I had to keep
0:25:45 > 0:25:55my serve to stay in the match. This was the toughest thing I did in my
0:25:55 > 0:26:31
0:26:31 > 0:26:37Game, set, match, Isner. 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7. 70, 68. I tried
0:26:37 > 0:26:47everything. In one way we are both winners. At the end, he played his
0:26:47 > 0:26:49
0:26:49 > 0:26:52second one. He whoever won that match cannot play. They were done
0:26:52 > 0:26:58for the summer. It is like running three marathons when you are
0:26:58 > 0:27:05supposed to run a couple of Miles. A I was in my chair and I just
0:27:05 > 0:27:15wanted to be back in the locker room. I just wanted to cry. That
0:27:15 > 0:27:22was too difficult for me to stay on the court. There was the ceremony.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24This was the worst moment over those few days. It would only be a
0:27:24 > 0:27:32fitting if we asked Nicholas and John declared their mementoes
0:27:32 > 0:27:40together. They are both winners today -- to collect. Amazing thing
0:27:40 > 0:27:44DC as a spectator, but as a player you don't want to see that again.
0:27:45 > 0:27:51When I look about it may be the best moment of my life, but at this
0:27:51 > 0:28:01time for sure it was the worst. Unbelievably they have been drawn
0:28:01 > 0:28:02
0:28:02 > 0:28:06together again this year. Sleeping bag, anyone? That is it. Game, set
0:28:06 > 0:28:16and match Miss Graf. Steffi Graf won Wimbledon seven times, Andre
0:28:16 > 0:28:24But as fate would have it Steffi Graf won the only year Andre Agassi
0:28:24 > 0:28:29did, 1992. That was the first year if I am not mistaken they banned
0:28:29 > 0:28:35the dance. They didn't have it that night. I work real hard to cancel
0:28:35 > 0:28:40it. In 1999 in the twilight of their careers, they will both
0:28:40 > 0:28:46crowned French Open champions and they met again. -- they were both.
0:28:46 > 0:28:56There was a certain cent -- sense of destiny. What happened in Paris
0:28:56 > 0:29:00was magical. Seven years between date, not your conventional
0:29:00 > 0:29:06courtship. But then again they are not your conventional couple. Still,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10all is well that ends well. It is fantastic. Two great champions,
0:29:10 > 0:29:16they are a delight, great to see two great champions together and
0:29:16 > 0:29:21really happy. She was a step in the right direction for me, I was
0:29:21 > 0:29:26probably step and then run direction for her back then! -- a
0:29:26 > 0:29:31step in the wrong direction. Just as women can become a habit, so can
0:29:31 > 0:29:34losing. Amidst the successes there are the failures, a monks the bits
0:29:34 > 0:29:39-- victories their other defeats. There are men who should have
0:29:39 > 0:29:44perhaps won the title, but didn't. Ken Rosewall lost in four finals,
0:29:44 > 0:29:49and it Roddick has lost in three, and even Lendl, two. One such
0:29:49 > 0:29:59nearly man, a habitual runner-up, stood in the last-chance saloon a
0:29:59 > 0:30:02
0:30:02 > 0:30:07decade ago before somebody finally I played Queen's Club. I lost a
0:30:07 > 0:30:13terrible match. On that day they were deciding on wildcards and I
0:30:13 > 0:30:18was hoping they did not watched that match. Something had to change.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23Goran decided it was his racket. Even now, I tried to explain how I
0:30:23 > 0:30:28started to play that kind of tennis but I cannot. Then, the magic
0:30:28 > 0:30:36returned. I said something will happen but I could not say to
0:30:36 > 0:30:46anybody because they would think I was crazy. Tim Henman had other
0:30:46 > 0:30:46
0:30:46 > 0:30:54ideas. This was his year, wasn't it? I did not do anything wrong, he
0:30:54 > 0:30:57just killed me. It was 2-1 to him. I won the first set, I think I only
0:30:57 > 0:31:06lost four points which probably did not happen at any other time in my
0:31:06 > 0:31:15career. His I was up to 2-1 on serve in the 4th. It is starting to
0:31:15 > 0:31:25rain quite heavily now. The rain, I have to say the rain saved me. Six
0:31:25 > 0:31:26
0:31:27 > 0:31:31on two sets to one, Tim started to play very well. Then they said, go
0:31:31 > 0:31:39home. I knew that I had won the match. At that moment I knew I had
0:31:39 > 0:31:43won the match. For me, the hardest part was I had really begun to
0:31:43 > 0:31:47break down his serve and get on to his serve, read it a little bit.
0:31:47 > 0:31:56When we came back after each rain delay, I really felt lucky. His
0:31:56 > 0:32:06rhythm was back, he was hitting his spots. Here we go again, would you
0:32:06 > 0:32:09
0:32:09 > 0:32:14believe it? All we need is a roof. Just give us a brief. -- just give
0:32:14 > 0:32:21us a roof. We only played for 15 minutes and my Wimbledon dream for
0:32:21 > 0:32:262001 was over. The dream is over for another year. Goran Ivanisevic
0:32:26 > 0:32:30is into the final! I knew I had lost the match. I knew I was
0:32:30 > 0:32:35disappointed but it took some time to get over.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39The three-day semi- was followed by a fairy-tale win over Pat Rafter.
0:32:39 > 0:32:46As for the nearly man, he was not nearly any more. My life started
0:32:46 > 0:32:49from that day. Goran, Wimbledon champion. Finally, I did not become
0:32:49 > 0:32:54the good tennis player who never won a major.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00Festival, I have to thank the All- England Club for giving me a
0:33:00 > 0:33:06wildcard. Otherwise... I think there were a lot of people you felt
0:33:06 > 0:33:13it was his destiny to win that year. At last, he clutches the Challenge
0:33:13 > 0:33:23Cup. It is a big difference, when you see your name there. Sometimes
0:33:23 > 0:33:31
0:33:31 > 0:33:36when I come to Wimbledon, I still Fred Perry was the last British man
0:33:36 > 0:33:40to win the gentleman's singles title at Wimbledon. That was three-
0:33:40 > 0:33:49quarters of a century ago and his legacy weighs heavily on those who
0:33:49 > 0:33:54follow. I think Mr Austin did not play his best tennis today.
0:33:54 > 0:34:00And will a Briton ever win the men's championships again? We live
0:34:00 > 0:34:10in hope. You get asked a lot of questions about it, how long it has
0:34:10 > 0:34:15
0:34:15 > 0:34:20been, will you do it this year? It In all sports, I think having home
0:34:20 > 0:34:24advantage makes a big difference. Playing on Centre Court, you get
0:34:24 > 0:34:33great support. Tim Henman would agree that when he played there, he
0:34:33 > 0:34:37played some of his best tennis there. I think in all honesty, it
0:34:37 > 0:34:42put some extra pressure on my opponents, to know they were
0:34:42 > 0:34:45playing against me and they were playing 14,000 others. If I could
0:34:45 > 0:34:49have played every match on one court, it would have been Centre
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Court at Wimbledon. I cannot explain why the British
0:34:53 > 0:34:58men have not. Possibly because we do not have that many players
0:34:58 > 0:35:01pushing each other. Virginia has written but when I came along it
0:35:01 > 0:35:07made her focus a little bit more because she thought she would not
0:35:07 > 0:35:10have this young upstart taking over her role. Tim Henman was the most
0:35:10 > 0:35:14successful player at Wimbledon since Fred Perry. Andy Murray has
0:35:14 > 0:35:19now been in Grand Slam finals and he is taking over that mantle and
0:35:19 > 0:35:24he could do it but up until those two, Roger Taylor in the boycott
0:35:24 > 0:35:29year, we have not had anyone. I came along, there was even
0:35:29 > 0:35:32greater interest and unbelievable support, support and every undreamt
0:35:32 > 0:35:37of. During the Championships, I tried to blank out everything that
0:35:37 > 0:35:43was going on around me so I never read the papers, I did not watch TV
0:35:43 > 0:35:47match. The media is more intense. It is something you have to deal
0:35:47 > 0:35:53with. It is not a valuable excuse as a sportsman that you wonder
0:35:53 > 0:36:03pressure or the media is talking about your whatever. It was unlucky
0:36:03 > 0:36:04
0:36:04 > 0:36:09for him. Maybe it will be the same thing now for Andy Murray.
0:36:09 > 0:36:16played a terrible final, this Australian Open. It was a one-way
0:36:16 > 0:36:22street. He does not enjoyed to play. He is blocked. He is capable to win
0:36:22 > 0:36:26any Grand Slam. I really admire his tennis. I love the way he is on the
0:36:26 > 0:36:35court. I know it is not easy to enjoy and to be relaxed in the
0:36:35 > 0:36:39final. But you have to. He is still very young and he has been in two
0:36:39 > 0:36:48semis already so I think he will go further but he is also in a very
0:36:48 > 0:36:53tough era. Do you think you learnt anything from the experience?
0:36:53 > 0:36:59we have learnt we have got to hit the ball as harder. And we have got
0:36:59 > 0:37:04to run much faster! We have got to run at all! What is preventing you
0:37:04 > 0:37:08for -- from running faster? For me it is all the lace on the back of
0:37:08 > 0:37:14my white pants. Britain's women have fared slightly
0:37:14 > 0:37:18better than the male compatriots. There was the all-British final of
0:37:18 > 0:37:231961 when Angela Mortimer beat Christine Truman. There was an
0:37:23 > 0:37:28Jones's title six years later. However, the sovereign was on hand
0:37:28 > 0:37:32to witness the last crowning of the Queen of Centre Court. Everyone
0:37:32 > 0:37:38thought this was Chris's title. She had beaten all three of us
0:37:38 > 0:37:48comfortably through the year. Or a sudden, Virginia played incredible
0:37:48 > 0:37:48
0:37:48 > 0:37:53tennis and beat Christie. It is a brilliant win for Virginia Wade.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58were all watching in the locker- room thinking this was so
0:37:58 > 0:38:05unexpected! A couple of players including Billie Jean King said
0:38:05 > 0:38:10well done, it is your title now, go get it. I was like, oh my God!
0:38:10 > 0:38:15A lot of the press, I seem to remember, had almost written you
0:38:15 > 0:38:25off in some ways? Because you were there. You are playing really well
0:38:25 > 0:38:31
0:38:31 > 0:38:38that year. You wear at least ten Goodness, she has missed the
0:38:38 > 0:38:44simplest of shops. It haunts me! It was the worst match I ever played
0:38:44 > 0:38:50and of course, I did on the biggest stage imaginable and my biggest
0:38:50 > 0:38:53chance to achieve my dream of winning Wimbledon. I think it hurt
0:38:53 > 0:39:03me so much that I was never quite the same player again when I came
0:39:03 > 0:39:04
0:39:04 > 0:39:09to Wimbledon. I doubted myself so much after that. Tremendous
0:39:09 > 0:39:15disappointment I am afraid for all British supporters. I have to say,
0:39:15 > 0:39:19I was relieved it was not you! There was something about her that
0:39:19 > 0:39:25here, she really did believe. When she was nearing match point and
0:39:25 > 0:39:29Betty Stove was very nervous, we were all getting very tense. Would
0:39:29 > 0:39:38it happen all would not? So often in the past she had given us this
0:39:38 > 0:39:45moment of expectation. Still championship.. She has done it!
0:39:45 > 0:39:55Affair is story comes true! Winning Wimbledon was so special.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56
0:39:56 > 0:40:02It was such a special year. Some matches resonate beyond mere
0:40:02 > 0:40:07tennis. Althea Gibson's victory in the late 50s did as she became
0:40:07 > 0:40:17Wimbledon's first African American champion. Nearly two decades on,
0:40:17 > 0:40:17
0:40:17 > 0:40:25Arthur Ashe's final still lives on. One myth persists that athletes are
0:40:25 > 0:40:34all brawn and no brains, even -- specifically black athletes. I like
0:40:34 > 0:40:42to fight the myth. He was known as the big hitter, go for his shots,
0:40:42 > 0:40:48win, lose or draw. The way he sat at the change of ends, the
0:40:48 > 0:40:53meditation, no one had seen this before. No one really expected him
0:40:53 > 0:40:57to be able to beat Jimmy. Everyone thought, it is one step too far for
0:40:57 > 0:41:02Arthur. I think that was a great moment for the African-American
0:41:02 > 0:41:07community because mistakenly and unfairly, they cannot think through
0:41:07 > 0:41:16things, they were better athletes but we are smarter, whatever. That
0:41:16 > 0:41:24just shut that totally down. made people realise that it is not
0:41:24 > 0:41:31just a physical side to tennis, it is an mental strategy as well.
0:41:31 > 0:41:41championship points for Arthur Ashe. And he has done it! He really has
0:41:41 > 0:41:42
0:41:42 > 0:41:48done it! I was just a kid, I was 16 years old. It was nice to take a
0:41:48 > 0:41:51pie and shove it in Jimmy Connors' phase.
0:41:51 > 0:41:57Wimbledon has had its fair share of entertainers down the years.
0:41:57 > 0:42:05However, it was a showman of a very different kind that captivated the
0:42:05 > 0:42:15Centre Court crowd on a wet Wednesday afternoon in 1996.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17
0:42:17 > 0:42:21Entertainer. I thought it was worth sowing, to heck with the rain.
0:42:21 > 0:42:251996, I had just become a member of the club so I was privileged to get
0:42:25 > 0:42:29tickets for both centre and caught number one. They said it has now
0:42:29 > 0:42:33reigned for three hours and we would love you to do something for
0:42:33 > 0:42:38the public. I said, I do not have a guitar with me or anything like
0:42:38 > 0:42:44that. I could not go Lansing. And they said, no, we were thinking
0:42:44 > 0:42:50more of an interview. Cliff, thank you very much. I think we should
0:42:50 > 0:42:55have a little tune. I will ask him nicely. He will never know what he
0:42:55 > 0:43:01did. He said, you will never forgive me if I did not ask you to
0:43:01 > 0:43:06thing something and I thought, oh no. I will give the microphone to
0:43:06 > 0:43:11you. Ladies and gentlemen, Cliff Richard! If he had said to me, you
0:43:11 > 0:43:17are going to do a TV show, there is no orchestra, no rehearsal, no band,
0:43:17 > 0:43:25I would say, no chance. But there I was, caught between a rock and a
0:43:25 > 0:43:30hard place and I said, I made a joke of it. I said, it is summer,
0:43:30 > 0:43:35we are all going on a summer holiday.
0:43:35 > 0:43:43Fun and laughter on our summer holiday, no more worries for me or
0:43:43 > 0:43:47you. For a week or two. We are going where the sun shines
0:43:47 > 0:43:53brightly... And then, of course, the thing that
0:43:53 > 0:43:58made it for me and the public was, led by Pam Shriver, up came Martina
0:43:58 > 0:44:04and Virginia Wade and a whole host of named female tennis players.
0:44:04 > 0:44:09We have got a new act, it is called Cliff and the Supremes. Altogether
0:44:09 > 0:44:19now... I want the world to know that I am
0:44:19 > 0:44:25as happy as can be... It is strange to me but I'm
0:44:25 > 0:44:35probably going to be immortalised, not because of summer holiday and
0:44:35 > 0:44:39
0:44:39 > 0:44:45the young ones but because of After the rain, comes the Sun. And
0:44:45 > 0:44:51with it, the flowers. It began with bright hot sunshine and keen
0:44:51 > 0:44:59competition. Wimbledon is a fashion contest. As the temperature rose,
0:44:59 > 0:45:07so did the eyebrows. You have the white clothing, the Royal Box, and
0:45:07 > 0:45:11the whole theatre. Call it what you will, head to head, one on one,
0:45:11 > 0:45:16Wimbledon was founded on such things. And no two players better
0:45:16 > 0:45:23epitomised that than Martina and Chris. The sport was made a lot
0:45:23 > 0:45:28better because of the type of rivalries. Chris Evert was the one
0:45:28 > 0:45:38who really stuck, the all-American girl first is the forerunner who
0:45:38 > 0:45:38
0:45:38 > 0:45:44says it like it is. -- against the foreigner. I loved watching them
0:45:44 > 0:45:51play. Different personalities, games. It was the ideal rivalry.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55When she walked down the court I saw this Roly Poly plump little
0:45:55 > 0:46:02Czechoslovakia and girl. Whenever I say that she looks at me and says
0:46:02 > 0:46:07you weren't exactly skinnier either. The French it was more important
0:46:07 > 0:46:16than anything, always. That prevailed. -- friendship. We just
0:46:16 > 0:46:21played games. He was pretty easy. - - it was pretty easy. Chris Evert
0:46:21 > 0:46:27had already won the title twice before the pair met in the final
0:46:27 > 0:46:31for the first time. The rivalry that I don't think it will ever be
0:46:31 > 0:46:36equalled, certainly in the quality and quantity, having played so many
0:46:36 > 0:46:46times and most of those matches, we were the first and second in the
0:46:46 > 0:46:50
0:46:50 > 0:46:57world respectively and most of Playing in that era with them was
0:46:57 > 0:47:04fantastic. You saw two of the greatest ever. In very different
0:47:04 > 0:47:13ways. Chris was mentally so tough, so tough on the big points, never
0:47:13 > 0:47:22seemed to crack. Martina changed the face of women's tennis. That is
0:47:22 > 0:47:29it, game, set and match. No down -- Rafa Nadal and Federer, great
0:47:29 > 0:47:34rivals, but we played more matches than them against each other, I am
0:47:34 > 0:47:40pleased to be part of rivalry. Martina Navratilova reigned supreme
0:47:40 > 0:47:48a beating Chris Evert in all of their finals as she so past Helen
0:47:48 > 0:47:53Wills Moodie's title record of eight. In bygone days tennis was
0:47:53 > 0:47:57thought of as genteel. In modern times it developed a new
0:47:57 > 0:48:07personality. You are the most corrupt official in the game and
0:48:07 > 0:48:13
0:48:13 > 0:48:22you cannot do that. Code violation, I am trying, for Christ's sake.
0:48:22 > 0:48:32made history, in the wrong way. I was the first person in one and and
0:48:32 > 0:48:33
0:48:33 > 0:48:3820 years to be disqualified. -- 120 years. I was like an animal, I had
0:48:38 > 0:48:45his knee against the world mentality. Heath you cannot be
0:48:45 > 0:48:51serious! And mistakenly believe he was a good thing. That ball was on
0:48:51 > 0:48:54the line. This was adding some excitement. It was clearly in. How
0:48:54 > 0:49:00can you possibly call that out? I probably should have been removed
0:49:00 > 0:49:08from the court. Everybody knows it is in in his whole stadium. A lot
0:49:08 > 0:49:16of people thought I should be. And you call it out? We she wouldn't go
0:49:16 > 0:49:22on about it quite so much. Americas Elizabeth Ryan despite never up
0:49:22 > 0:49:28winning the Ladies' Singles and asked 19 Wimbledon titles. Billie-
0:49:28 > 0:49:33Jean King, a pioneer of women's tennis, had also accumulated 19,
0:49:34 > 0:49:38but believed she had one more in her. She used to come and watch me
0:49:38 > 0:49:44as a junior. At the Los Angeles Tennis Club. She was born in
0:49:44 > 0:49:54Anaheim, California. I am born in Long Beach. They are really close.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58
0:49:58 > 0:50:03I really appreciated what she had Martina walked up, do you want to
0:50:03 > 0:50:08play doubles this year? I didn't know if I would be ready. She said
0:50:08 > 0:50:13oh, come on. Let's get your 20th for you. OK, great, I will try. He
0:50:14 > 0:50:20gave me such impetus to get ready to be able to play at least doubles
0:50:20 > 0:50:30that year. I remember Martina coming in for a volley, the final
0:50:30 > 0:50:31
0:50:31 > 0:50:37shot, going crazy. I was very happy, but very sad at the same time for
0:50:37 > 0:50:46Elizabeth Ryan. She looked at me, what is wrong? As said this was a
0:50:46 > 0:50:53difficult time. Elizabeth is really heavy on my mind. Ryan, a regular
0:50:53 > 0:50:58at Wimbledon, never saw her record broken. She died at the All-England
0:50:58 > 0:51:07Club the day before Billie-Jean's triumph. Deep down she didn't want
0:51:07 > 0:51:11to see it broken. Another chapter concluded by Billie-Jean King, her
0:51:11 > 0:51:2120 a paddle. Will it ever be beaten? Six singles, 10 doubles,
0:51:21 > 0:51:39
0:51:39 > 0:51:45To be the first to do something is memorable. To be the first to do
0:51:45 > 0:51:53something out Wimbledon is historic. But don't take my word for it. Ask
0:51:53 > 0:51:57a man who was the first to win the title. Unseeded. I was too young to
0:51:57 > 0:52:01know I was too young to win Wimbledon. That is why it sticks in
0:52:01 > 0:52:06my mind. I was 17, happy to get on Centre Court. I wasn't thinking
0:52:06 > 0:52:16about winning. Only much later, years later, I realise the
0:52:16 > 0:52:17
0:52:17 > 0:52:23importance and how Wimbledon Four or five months before we
0:52:23 > 0:52:28played at Wimbledon I played him in Milan. He was bitching and whining
0:52:28 > 0:52:34about calls, similar to the way I did. I said you have got to win
0:52:34 > 0:52:39something first before you start whining. Enough of this. Never, in
0:52:39 > 0:52:49my wildest dreams, did I think he would say four months later, when
0:52:49 > 0:52:50
0:52:51 > 0:52:55the Queen's and Wimbledon. -- win Queen's. There is a man here that
0:52:55 > 0:53:05has put �10,000 on you to win it. Maybe it is a little bit too much.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07He will win �180,000 if you win. wasn't allowed to read the
0:53:07 > 0:53:11newspapers, I don't think my English would have been good enough
0:53:11 > 0:53:15anyway. I was concentrating on the match and I kept my routine and
0:53:15 > 0:53:22really only when the President of Germany came to see the final live,
0:53:22 > 0:53:28I said, what an occasion for him to come and see me play! I really
0:53:28 > 0:53:38understood much later the importance of this tournament. I
0:53:38 > 0:53:40
0:53:40 > 0:53:50was ready, excited, nervous. Kevin wasn't his usual self. He lost his
0:53:50 > 0:53:59
0:53:59 > 0:54:09first service game. I felt I had a He was diving continuously. I
0:54:09 > 0:54:24
0:54:24 > 0:54:34At the changeover Alabama parents and my coach and said -- I saw they
0:54:34 > 0:54:41were closing their eyes and I Looking at the faces afterwards,
0:54:41 > 0:54:51them looking at me in a different ways, like I had changed from
0:54:51 > 0:54:56
0:54:56 > 0:55:01He has got the biggest serve in the history of tennis. He is 17 years
0:55:01 > 0:55:11old. I thought to myself, things are going to get a whole lot
0:55:11 > 0:55:13
0:55:13 > 0:55:22I was a normal German guy, out of a small town, 17 years and I became
0:55:22 > 0:55:28Boris Becker, at the famous tennis player. As with all kings of Centre
0:55:28 > 0:55:34Court, the keys of the castle were passed on to the newly anointed.
0:55:34 > 0:55:40Wimbledon is no stranger to the best. The best players, the best
0:55:40 > 0:55:50courts. The best of everything. But once in a while, something comes
0:55:50 > 0:56:07
0:56:07 > 0:56:17along that is better than the best The 2000 and a final was the
0:56:17 > 0:56:25
0:56:25 > 0:56:35greatest tennis match and have ever It really had everything. Federer
0:56:35 > 0:56:39
0:56:39 > 0:56:49was going for his 6th successive Nadal, before the tournament, we
0:56:49 > 0:56:56
0:56:56 > 0:57:06all thought he did not have a The respect they have for each
0:57:06 > 0:57:31
0:57:31 > 0:57:41other. Game, Nadal. And just the There was quite something
0:57:41 > 0:58:19
0:58:19 > 0:58:25I suspect he is quite pleased he is Rafael Nadal. I can remember almost
0:58:25 > 0:58:30everything. Probably the most emotional day in my tennis career.
0:58:30 > 0:58:36The tears started going, very emotional. In 20, 30 years' time
0:58:36 > 0:58:46people will still be talking about that match. There is nowhere quite
0:58:46 > 0:58:50