2001 Wimbledon Championships — 115th staging of the Wimbledon Championships
The 2001 Wimbledon Championships marked Goran Ivanišević's wild-card victory and a teenage Roger Federer's defeat of Pete Sampras, reshaping men's tennis.
Key Facts
- Edition
- 115th Wimbledon Championships
- Dates
- 25 June – 9 July 2001
- Men's singles winner
- Goran Ivanišević (wild card, ranked 125th)
- Women's singles winner
- Venus Williams (defended title)
- Seeds expanded to
- 32 players per draw (up from 16)
- Federer upset
- 19-year-old Federer defeated defending champion Sampras R4
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Dissatisfaction among clay-court specialists with Wimbledon's traditional seeding system, which weighted grass-court results, prompted organisers to expand the seeded field from 16 to 32 players for the first time in the tournament's 124-year history.
Held from 25 June to 9 July 2001 at the All England Club, the tournament saw Goran Ivanišević win the men's singles as a wild card after three prior runner-up finishes, defeating Pat Rafter in five sets, while Venus Williams retained her women's title against Justine Henin. Rain extended the schedule by a day.
Ivanišević's wild-card triumph became one of tennis's most celebrated underdog stories, while Roger Federer's fourth-round defeat of Sampras signalled the emergence of a future dominant champion. Henin's run made her the first Belgian to reach a Wimbledon final, foreshadowing her later Grand Slam success.
Result
at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon