1985 Wimbledon Championships
The 1985 Wimbledon Championships was the 99th edition of the annual grass-court tennis tournament held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, serving as the third Grand Slam event of the year from 24 June to 7 July.[1][2] The tournament's most defining moment came in the men's singles, where 17-year-old unseeded West German Boris Becker stunned the field by defeating eighth-seeded American Kevin Curren in the final, 6–3, 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–4, to claim the title as the youngest men's singles champion in Wimbledon history and the first German winner of the event.[3][4][5] In the women's singles, top seed Martina Navratilova of the United States defended her title by overcoming fellow American Chris Evert Lloyd in the final, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, securing her sixth Wimbledon singles crown and fourth consecutive victory in the category.[6][7] Becker's triumph marked a generational shift in men's tennis, as the teenager, known for his powerful serve and aggressive baseline play, upset established stars like Jimmy Connors and Henri Leconte en route to the final, while also becoming the first unseeded champion since 1924.[8][5] In the doubles competitions, eighth seeds Heinz Günthardt of Switzerland and Balázs Taróczy of Hungary won the men's doubles title, defeating fifth seeds Pat Cash and John Fitzgerald of Australia, 6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3.[9] The women's doubles saw third seeds Kathy Jordan of the United States and Elizabeth Smylie of Australia end the dominant 109-match winning streak of Navratilova and Pam Shriver by prevailing in the final, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4.[10][11] Navratilova added to her haul by partnering with Paul McNamee of Australia to win the mixed doubles, beating Fitzgerald and Smylie, 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, in a match that highlighted her versatility across formats.[12] Overall, the 1985 Championships drew record crowds and underscored the growing international appeal of the sport, with total prize money of £1,934,760.[13][14]Tournament Overview
Dates, Location, and Surface
The 1985 Wimbledon Championships, the 99th staging of the event, were held from 24 June to 7 July 1985.[1] The tournament took place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, located in Wimbledon, a district of southwest London, England.[15][16] As with all editions of the Championships, play occurred exclusively on outdoor grass courts, which provided a fast-paced, low-bouncing surface favoring serve-and-volley tactics.[1][17] Men's singles matches followed a best-of-five sets format, while women's singles, all doubles events, and mixed doubles adhered to best-of-three sets.[18][15] The program encompassed senior competitions in men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, alongside junior events for boys' and girls' singles and doubles.[19][1]Prize Money
The 1985 Wimbledon Championships offered a total prize fund of £1,934,760, marking a significant increase from previous years and reflecting the tournament's growing commercial importance in professional tennis. This purse was distributed across all events, with the majority allocated to the senior singles competitions to incentivize top player participation. The structure emphasized tiered payments by round advancement, ensuring compensation for early exits while rewarding deeper progress, and included specific provisions for doubles and mixed doubles, though with notable disparities in amounts between men's and women's categories.[14][20] In the men's singles, the winner received £130,000, the runner-up £65,000, semifinalists £32,500 each, and quarterfinalists £16,250 each; further rounds followed a halving pattern down to first-round losers at £2,600. The women's singles mirrored this tiering but at slightly lower levels, with the winner earning £117,000, the runner-up £58,500, semifinalists £29,250 each, and quarterfinalists £14,625 each, descending to £2,340 for first-round participants. These amounts highlighted an emerging but incomplete gender parity, as men's prizes exceeded women's by approximately 11% at the top levels, a disparity that would narrow in subsequent decades.[14][21] Doubles events received smaller shares to account for team formats, with prizes awarded per pair rather than per player. Men's doubles winners collected £47,500, runners-up £23,750, and semifinalists £11,900 each; women's doubles followed suit at £41,100 for winners, £20,550 for runners-up, and £10,300 for semifinalists. Mixed doubles prizes were more modest, starting at £23,400 for the winning pair and halving thereafter.[14][21]| Event | Winner (per player/team) | Runner-up (per player/team) | Semifinalist (per player/team) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Singles | £130,000 | £65,000 | £32,500 |
| Women's Singles | £117,000 | £58,500 | £29,250 |
| Men's Doubles | £47,500 (team) | £23,750 (team) | £11,900 (team) |
| Women's Doubles | £41,100 (team) | £20,550 (team) | £10,300 (team) |
| Mixed Doubles | £23,400 (team) | £11,700 (team) | £5,850 (team) |
Player Participation
Singles Seeds
The seeding for the 1985 Wimbledon Championships singles events was determined primarily based on the ATP and WTA rankings as of mid-June 1985, with the All England Club's seeding committee making minor adjustments to reflect players' form on grass courts. A total of 16 players were seeded in each draw to distribute top talent across sections and minimize early clashes between favorites.[22] In the men's singles, defending champion John McEnroe was awarded the top seed, followed by Ivan Lendl as No. 2, Jimmy Connors as No. 3, and recent French Open winner Mats Wilander as No. 4. The full list extended to No. 16 Eliot Teltscher of the United States, reflecting a balance of ranking points and surface suitability. Notably, No. 8 seed Kevin Curren reached the final as the lowest-seeded player to do so, while unseeded 17-year-old Boris Becker claimed the title, marking the first time an unseeded player had won the men's event since the introduction of seeding in 1927.[22][23][24][25] For the women's singles, a unique situation arose due to tied world No. 1 rankings: three-time defending champion Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd were both seeded No. 1, with no No. 2 seed assigned to honor their equal standing and Navratilova's recent dominance at the event. Hana Mandlíková followed as the No. 3 seed, while the draw rounded out to No. 16 Kathy Rinaldi of the United States. This co-seeding was the first of its kind at Wimbledon in 63 years.[22][26]| Event | Seed | Player | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Singles | 1 | John McEnroe | USA |
| 2 | Ivan Lendl | TCH | |
| 3 | Jimmy Connors | USA | |
| 4 | Mats Wilander | SWE | |
| 16 | Eliot Teltscher | USA | |
| Women's Singles | 1 (co) | Martina Navratilova | USA |
| 1 (co) | Chris Evert Lloyd | USA | |
| 3 | Hana Mandlíková | TCH | |
| 16 | Kathy Rinaldi | USA |