Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitová were unsuccessful in their 2011 title defences, both defeated by the eventual champions, he by Roger Federer in the semifinals and she by Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. In four sets, Federer defeated Andy Murray to win a record-equalling seven Wimbledon titles, while Murray became the first British male player to reach a Wimbledon singles final in the Open era. Williams defeated first-time Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwańska in three sets to equal her sister Venus in winning five Wimbledon titles. Federer and Williams were each more than 30 years old at the time of their victories. With his, Federer reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking for the first time since June 2010, thus allowing him to equal, then to break, the all-time record of most weeks ranked at World No. 1 held by Pete Sampras. Agnieszka Radwańska, Victoria Azarenka, and Maria Sharapova were in contention for the world number 1 ranking. Since Sharapova lost in the fourth round and Radwańska was a match away from becoming the world number 1 but lost it, Azarenka continued her success as the number 1.
Events
On 28 June, World No. 100 Lukáš Rosol upset World No. 2 and two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal in five sets.
On 30 June:
Marin Čilić beat Sam Querrey, 7–6(8–6), 6–4, 6–7(2–7), 6–7(3–7), 17–15. At 5 hours and 31 minutes, it was then the second longest match in Wimbledon history.[2] This would later be surpassed by the 2018 semifinal match between Kevin Anderson and John Isner.
On 5 July, Agnieszka Radwańska became the first Pole, male or female, to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the Open era.
On 6 July, Murray became the first British man in 74 years to reach the singles final, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinal.[4]
On 7 July:
Serena Williams won her fifth Wimbledon title, tying her sister Venus in doing so.
Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen became the first wild card to win the gentlemen's doubles title, beating both of the previous year's finalists along the way.[5] Marray also became the first British player to win the men's doubles title in the Open era.
Below are the tables with the point distribution for each discipline of the tournament.[7][8]
Senior points
Event
W
F
SF
QF
Round of 16
Round of 32
Round of 64
Round of 128
Q
Q3
Q2
Q1
Men's singles
2000
1200
720
360
180
90
45
10
25
16
8
0
Men's doubles
0
—
—
0
0
Women's singles
1400
900
500
280
160
100
5
60
50
40
2
Women's doubles
5
—
48
—
0
0
Wheelchair points
Event
W
F
3rd
4th
Doubles
800
500
375
100
Junior points
Event
W
F
SF
QF
Round of 16
Round of 32
Q
Q3
Boys' singles
250
180
120
80
50
30
25
20
Girls' singles
Boys' doubles
180
120
80
50
30
—
—
—
Girls' doubles
—
—
—
Prize money
For 2012, the prize money purse was increased to £16,060,000 from £14,600,000 in 2011. The winner of the men's and women's singles title earned £1,150,000.[9][10][11]
It was Federer's 5th title of the year and 1st Grand Slam title of the year. It was his 7th Wimbledon title, 17th Grand Slam title, and 75th career title.
It was Williams' 3rd title of the year and 1st Grand Slam title of the year. It was her 5th Wimbledon title, 14th Grand Slam title, and 42nd career title.
The following are the seeded players and notable players who withdrew from the event. Seedings based on ATP and WTA rankings are as of 18 June 2012, Rankings and Points are as of 25 June 2012.[21]
Because the tournament takes place one week later than in 2011, points defending includes results from both the 2011 Wimbledon and tournaments from the week of 4 July 2011 (Newport and Davis Cup).
The Men's singles seeds is arranged on a surface-based system to reflect more accurately the individual player's grass court achievement as per the following formula:
ATP Entry System Position points as at a week before The Championships
Add 100% points earned for all grass court tournaments in the past 12 months
add 75% points earned for best grass court tournament in the 12 months before that.
Because the tournament takes place one week later than in 2011, points defending includes results from both the 2011 Wimbledon and tournaments from the week of 4 July 2011 (Budapest and Båstad).
For the Women's singles seeds, the seeding order follows the ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee, the grass court credentials of a particular player necessitates a change in the interest of achieving a balanced draw.