The opportunity to play with two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray at the All England Club would make anyone’s dream come true. Now, that dream can become a reality.

Through a charity auction, Murray is offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hit with him at The Championships in 2021. Proceeds will go towards members of the ATP Coach Programme, whose ability to work has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, and the global COVID-19 relief fund. Learn More & Bid

“I am personally very happy to be involved. So many areas of our sport have been affected throughout the Tour suspension, including coaches,” Murray said. “It’s important we help each other where we can. I think everybody involved has done a great job in creating something unique for fans that also supports a worthy cause.”

The winning bidder and one guest will get to spend one hour on court with the former World No. 1 before enjoying a private lunch in the members’ enclosure at the All England Club. Additionally, they will receive two tickets to the 2021 Wimbledon men’s singles final.

There are six additional ultimate tennis experiences up for grabs, including a private session with Stan Wawrinka and his team (Magnus Norman and Daniel Vallverdu) at an ATP Tour event in Europe or the Americas between January and July 2021. Toni Nadal is offering two hours on court at the 2021 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

You can also enter a prize draw for your chance to win a frame of signed racquets from each of the Big Four: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Murray.

“There are some fantastic new experiences up for grabs that I hope fans will be excited by,” Murray said.

Novak Djokovic faced a massive test in the 2018 Wimbledon semi-finals. The Serbian underwent a ‘small medical intervention’ earlier that year on his right elbow after the Australian Open, and later suffered his first three-match losing streak since 2007. In June, he fell to No. 22 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, his lowest standing in more than a decade.

But the Serbian had a golden opportunity against one of his greatest rivals, World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, to prove he was back in form by reaching the final at The Championships. Nadal had just won his 11th Roland Garros title, and after battling past Juan Martin del Potro in a quarter-final thriller, he was keen to advance to the championship match at SW19 for the first time since 2011.

If Djokovic was going to make a splash on the London grass, he’d need to find his very best tennis in his record 52nd ATP Head2Head clash against Nadal. That’s exactly what the Serbian did in a memorable 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9), 3-6, 10-8 win over five hours and 15 minutes.

“I’m really, really pleased. I was very emotional after the match, as well, because it’s been a long 15 months for me, trying to overcome different obstacles,” Djokovic said. “To be where I am at the moment is quite satisfying.”

Djokovic moved into his fifth title match at The Championships, earning his 250th Grand Slam victory to end Nadal’s 16-Grand Slam semi-final winning streak.

Play was suspended Friday evening due to curfew after three sets, with Djokovic leading two sets to one. There was no doubt that the Spaniard would come out swinging in the fourth set with his back against the wall. And after saving two break points in the first game of the resumption Saturday, Nadal broke Djokovic with aggressive returning, dictating play with his forehand. He won the fourth set, but it was not enough for the second seed.

“I think I played a great match,” Nadal said. “I have not much more inside me. I gave it my best, and that’s it. It’s fair to say that was a great match and he beat me. Well done for him. That’s all. That’s sport.”

Nadal earned five break points in the fifth set, and one opportunity at 7-7 appeared ripe for the taking. Djokovic, the 12th seed, answered Nadal’s pressure with a curling cross-court forehand passing shot winner, gesturing to the crowd to cheer. 

Five games later, Djokovic closed out his marathon victory, advancing to the final in which he beat Kevin Anderson for his fourth Wimbledon title. It was the Serbian’s first Grand Slam triumph since 2016 Roland Garros.

It was a disappointing loss for Nadal, but the Spaniard retained top spot in the FedEx ATP Rankings. That didn’t last all year, though, as Djokovic came full circle in his comeback, winning the US Open and returning to World No. 1 on 5 November, ultimately finishing as year-end No. 1 for the fifth time.

Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg grew up together, hailing from the same state in Sweden. They were close enough as juniors that at a national tournament they shared a tiny room in which there were only two bunk beds stacked atop one another.

“He always had to take the worst bed!” Wilander said.

Little did they know that at 1988 Wimbledon, as professionals, one of their losses would allow the other to break through.

Wilander, who was like an older brother to Edberg, arrived at the All England Club that year with plenty of momentum. He was the first man to win the first two Grand Slams of the year since Rod Laver, who captured all four Grand Slams in 1969. Grass was never the second seed’s best surface, but given his form, he had a chance to continue his path toward the calendar-year Grand Slam.

For a while, it appeared Wilander’s dream of winning all four majors in 1988 was becoming increasingly realistic. He did not lose a set en route to the quarter-finals, and if he reached the semi-finals, he would face Edberg. In the last eight, Wilander played Miloslav Mecir, against whom he won two of his past three ATP Head2Head matches.

“I knew that we possibly were going to play each other,” Edberg recalled. “We always kept an eye on the scoreboard, because it would have been nice to play in the semi-finals.”

That was when Wilander’s pursuit of history came to a screeching halt. Mecir crushed the second seed 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

“It was the worst defeat,” Wilander said. “But it only lasted for 48 hours.”

Edberg’s introduction to Wimbledon came in 1976, when he watched his idol, Bjorn Borg, beat Ilie Nastase for the title on television. He remembers in 1983 taking a bus from Richmond to the historic venue, walking over a hill where he was able to view all of SW19.

At that same event, Edberg had a chance to avenge his good friend’s loss. But Mecir appeared primed to spoil the Swedish party, sprinting through the first two sets of their semi-final 6-4, 6-2.

“Mecir had a good year… I was pretty much down and out in that match. He was up two sets to love, 3-3, 0/40 on my serve,” Edberg said. “That was the crucial match at that Wimbledon in 1988.”

Edberg rallied behind his aggressive serve-and-volley play – which differed from Wilander, who thrived from the baseline — for a 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 win to reach his first final at The Championships. That helped soothe the pain of Wilander’s loss.

“I was really bummed out,” Wilander said. “I realised, ‘Hold on, hold on. Stefan is making the final here! We are from the same state’,” Wilander said. “I was a big brother, so I was like, ‘Oh my God, he’s winning, so thank God.'”

In the first of three consecutive Wimbledon championship battles between Edberg and Boris Becker, the Swede emerged victorious, triumphing 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-2.

“Winning Wimbledon the first time is always going to stand out,” Edberg said. “It’s a fantastic feeling, being on Centre Court and lifting the trophy.”

“More importantly, no one ever asked me about my loss,” Wilander joked. “They called Stefan and asked him about his win.”

Although it was disappointing at the time, Wilander went on to win the US Open that year, so the Swedes who grew up together combined to win all four majors in 1988.

Did You Know?
Only two players have won the first two Grand Slams of the season since Wilander did it in 1988. Jim Courier accomplished the feat in 1992, and Novak Djokovic did it in 2016. No man has won the Calendar Slam since Laver in 1969.