Federer Seeking Record-Tying 7th Title & No. 1 Ranking, Murray Hopes to End 76-Year Drought
History will be made in the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Championship live on ESPN on Sunday, July 8, at 9 a.m. ET. Either Roger Federer will gain his record-tying seventh crown at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, or a kingdom will celebrate the end of a 76-year drought.
Federer has 16 Major titles, the most of any man in tennis history, but none since the 2010 Australian Open. Now 30, a victory Sunday not only would tie Pete Sampras with seven Wimbledon victories, it might be even more noteworthy in that he would regain the No. 1 ranking. Also, it would be the 286th week of his career he has held the top spot, again tying Sampras for the most ever in men’s tennis.
Andy Murray of Scotland carries the athletic hopes and dreams of long-suffering fans on his shoulders in his quest to be the first man from Great Britain to win the local tennis Major since Fred Perry in 1936. It has been almost as long since a British man has played in the final – Bunny Austin in 1938. He has played in three Grand Slam event finals (two Australian Opens, one US Open) and has not won a set.
The Gentlemen’s Championship will be preceded at 8 a.m. by the one-hour Breakfast at Wimbledon, hosted by Hannah Storm. ABC will reair the finals on the day they take place, July 7 and 8, at 3 p.m.
All the action on ESPN is also available through WatchESPN online at WatchESPN.com and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app. ESPN 3D will televise both Championships live.
ESPN and Wimbledon
The new schedule for ESPN’s 10th Wimbledon – exclusive and all-live – is the result of a 12-year agreement between ESPN and the All England Lawn Tennis Club announced just after the conclusion of the 2011 Championships. The remaining schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Network | |
| Sun, July 8 | 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. | Breakfast at Wimbledon | ESPN / ESPN3 | Live |
| 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Gentlemen’s Championship
No. 3 Federer vs. No. 4 Murray |
ESPN / ESPN3D / ESPN3 | Live | |
| 3 – 6 p.m. | Gentlemen’s Championship | ABC | Tape |
ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012.
ESPN debuted September 7, 1979, and the first tennis telecast was exactly one week later, September 14, a Davis Cup tie, Argentina at U.S. from Memphis with Cliff Drysdale on the call and John McEnroe playing.
In addition, broadband network ESPN3, now in nearly 72 million homes, carries thousands of hours of tennis annually, including all four Grand Slam events, plus ATP 1000 and 500 tournaments and WTA Premier Events, and season-ending championships for both tours. Also, ESPN Classic shows great matches from the past and the sport receives extensive coverage on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, Spanish-language ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. ESPN 3D aired its first tennis at Wimbledon in 2011.
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