The less celebrated heroes of Wimbledon MyZA

English: Laura Robson (nearest to the camera) in action on court 19 during the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. She was playing against Alexa Guarachi in the first round of the Girls’ Singles. Photo: Wikipedia

We all love a bit of Wimbledon. What better way to celebrate our national Grand Slam event than by shining a light on some of its less celebrated heroes?

Here is a selection of one-time winners followed by some superb examples of Wimbledon sportsmanship:

1. Richard Krajicek – 1996

Tall, elegant and a big server, Richard Krajicek was the only man to defeat Pete Sampras at Wimbledon between 1992 and 2001. This he did in the 1996 quarter-final, sending shock waves through the sport.

In the final, the Dutchman took inspiration from an unlikely source. Student Melissa Johnson interrupted the pre-match photo shoot by running across the court wearing nothing but a flimsy apron and a cheeky grin. Fellow finalist Mal Washington admitted afterwards to being flustered by the streak, whereas Krajicek said, “She put a smile on my face and broke the tension.”

2. Conchita Martínez – 1994

The patient baseliner won her sole Grand Slam at the All England Club in 1994, beating none other than Martina Navratilova in the final. Alright, so Navratilova was 37 at the time but no mean feat to take the scalp of the nine-time champ in a gruelling three-setter. Martínez is still the only Spanish woman to win Wimbledon.

3. Ann Jones – 1969

In her semi, Jones defeated Australian top seed Margaret Court. Court had won the first set 12-10 – no tie-breaks back then – but Jones battled back to win in three. She then bested the legendary Billie-Jean King, again in three sets having lost the first, to take the title. Jones was also the first left-handed woman to win the title, years before Navratilova practically made it her own.

Here are a few great sports and standard bearers of fair play:

English: Rafael Nadal in action against Andreas Beck in the first round of the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. Photo: Wikipedia

1. Rafael Nadal – 2013

When the eight-time French Open champ lost in this year’s first round to relative unknown Steve Darcis, many commentators and analysts were quick to speculate that the Spaniard’s dodgy knee might be partly to blame.

Just what many a sportsman would seize like a rope thrown from a sea rescue helicopter: a ready-made excuse. Not Rafa. He made sure he gave his conqueror all the credit instead of detracting from his moment of glory. Nadal reminded us that defeat was “not a tragedy” and refused to cite his knee as a factor. What a gent.

2. Caroline Hall – 1995

Before he became the nation’s best-loved nearly man, Tim Henman was a villain. Playing a doubles match in 1995, Henman lost a tie-break point and, in a fit of pique, thwacked the ball towards the net.

Unfortunately, ball girl Caroline Hall, who was collecting another ball, received Henman’s missile right in the side of the face. Within minutes, stalwart referee Alan Mills was on court and Henman became the first player in the history of the tournament to be disqualified. Hall, for her part, tried to dissuade the officials from taking this action.

3. The Centre Court crowd and Cliff’s singing – 1996

According to Cliff Richard himself, he was reluctant to sing to the crowd during a rain break in 1996. When the club secretary floated the idea, Cliff told him he didn’t even have a guitar. But then he did an interview for Radio Wimbledon, at the end of which he was put on the spot. Well, what was he to do? He’s a professional, after all. – Paul Howarth