From warm greetings to farewell embraces, the smiles of delight and the moments where emotions spilled over, The Championships 2023 served as a setting for storied champions to shine once again.
Carlos Alcaraz and Marketa Vondrousova were crowned as new Wimbledon champions but the Fortnight also provided a reminder about the importance of appreciating all talents.
From stars on the comeback trail to celebrated champions and those about to bid farewell to the baseline, it was a pleasure to welcome back some fan favourites to the All England Club this year.
Venus Williams
Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams continues to astound and displayed her customary brilliance and verve on her 24th visit to SW19.
A five-time champion, the 43-year-old received the warmest of ovations when she walked on to Centre Court for her opening round clash against Elina Svitolina.
Williams challenged a rival who progressed to the semi-finals in an entertaining match and demonstrated again why she is a crowd favourite around the world.
Milos Raonic
A finalist at Wimbledon in 2016, Milos Raonic returned to The Championships for the first time in four years with an encouraging performance.
The sight of the Canadian practising with Italian Jannik Sinner at the Aorangi practice courts on the Saturday before the gentlemen’s singles was welcome after his struggle with injury in recent years.
The 32-year-old defeated Dennis Novak in his first Grand Slam match since the Australian Open in 2021 before falling to No.16 seed Tommy Paul in a tight four set match.
Su-Wei Hsieh
Popular veteran Su-Wei Hsieh was warmly welcomed back to Wimbledon for the first time since 2021 and demonstrated yet again her prowess in doubles.
The 37-year-old partnered another returning star Barbora Strycova to victory in the ladies’ doubles championships in the final match played at Wimbledon this year.
It is her second success at SW19 with Strycova following their triumph in 2019 and continues a remarkable comeback for the four-time Wimbledon doubles champion.
Andy Murray
The presence of two-time champion Andy Murray at Wimbledon is always an occasion worthy of celebration given his deeds on Centre Court and his resilience in overcoming adversity.
The Scot started the grass season brilliantly, winning titles in Surbiton and Nottingham, raising his hopes of another stirring performance at The Championships.
The 36-year-old engaged in a tremendous five set encounter with No.5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, again demonstrating he is still more than capable of challenging the world’s best players.
Barbora Strycova
A Wimbledon singles semi-finalist in 2019, Strycova enjoyed a triumphant return to the All England Club in her first visit for four years.
The Czech star, who gave birth to a son, Vincent, in 2021, reached the second round in singles, beaten in a tight match by No.23 seed Magda Linette.
The 37-year-old then partnered Su-Wei Hsieh to claim the ladies’ doubles championships in a brilliant final against Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens on Sunday night.
Stan Wawrinka
Watching Stan Wawrinka tackling Novak Djokovic on Centre Court raised memories of stirring Grand Slam finals the two have played.
The three-time champion at Wimbledon has scaled great heights in tennis but to watch the 38-year-old playing with verve again after struggling with injury was a delight.
His effort to reach the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2020 suggests the Swiss star is more than capable of playing at the top level for some time to come.
Caroline Wozniacki
After announcing her comeback to the Tour in June, Caroline Wozniacki was a welcome inclusion in the field for the ladies’ Invitation Doubles at The Championships.
The Danish former world No.1, who won the 2018 Australian Open, partnered Zimbabwean Cara Black to the final of the popular event featuring several Grand Slam champions.
Wozniacki, who will return to Grand Slam tennis as a wild card into the US Open in August, and Black were beaten by Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters.
Jeremy Chardy
The end of a tennis player's career is never an easy moment but Jeremy Chardy produced a fine performance to cap an impressive tenure on the Tour when bowing out at Wimbledon.
Having announced before The Championships that it would be his final singles tournament, he was drawn against No.1 seed Carlos Alcaraz in the first round.
A member of France’s Davis Cup-winning team in 2017, the 36-year-old challenged the eventual Wimbledon champion in the final set and received a warm send off from the crowd.
Roger Federer
The eight-time Wimbledon champion did not grace the courts this year, but it marked his first official return to the All England Club as a retired player.
In a moving ceremony on Day 2 of The Championships, the 20-time Grand Slam champion received a prolonged standing ovation as he was welcomed into the Royal Box.
And, yes, he made sure to bring his Member's passes this year, just to ensure there was no repeat of his surprise visit in December, 2022 when he did not have his membership card with him.
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