Briton Neal Skupski has won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title with his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof, becoming the first person in 97 years to win the mixed and men’s doubles title at SW19.
The little-known 33-year-old Liverpudlian was grinning on the pitch after beating Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4 this afternoon.
The tennis player previously won the mixed doubles at the Grand Slam tournament in 2021 and 2022.
It means today’s victory makes Skupski the first British player to win a hat-trick of Wimbledon titles since Dorthy Round won the women’s singles in 1937 after winning the mixed doubles the previous two years.
The victory has linked Skupski with tennis great Fred Perry, as no British man has won back-to-back titles since Perry won his third straight men’s singles in 1936, and also means he is the first person to win the men’s and mixed double since Leslie Goodfree in 1926.
Neal Skupski has won the Wimbledon men’s doubles title with his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof, becoming the first person to win the mixed and men’s doubles title at SW19 in 97 years
Liverpudlian, 33, was grinning on the pitch after beating Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos 6-4, 6-4 this afternoon.
The tennis stars take a picture after their victory with a grinning audience
Skupski (pictured today with Koolhof) previously won the mixed doubles at the Grand Slam tournament in 2021 and 2022
After his capture, a smirking Skupski said to the crowd, “Growing up watching this great championship on TV, starting as a young boy at the Palmerston Tennis Club in Liverpool, going there as a little boy with my dad and growing up with my brother, which has had a major impact on my career.
“This feeling at the moment is not getting any better. Me and Wesley got together 18 months ago and this year one of our goals was to win a grand slam and now we’ve done it, it feels very special.”
After winning the final point – which did not disappoint the roaring crowd – the pair fell to the floor in celebration.
The last Briton to win the men’s double title was Jonathan Marray, who secured the title 11 years ago with his Danish partner Frederick Nielsen.
Skupski grew up in Childwall in Merseyside and started playing tennis at Allerton’s Palmerston Tennis Club, which was adjacent to his childhood home.
He was inspired by his older brother Ken Skupski, who also had a successful career and often played alongside his brother in tournaments before retiring in 2022. Ken now coaches his famous brother at Wimbledon.
The tennis supreme has captured the attention of his comrades over the years, with Andy Murray admitting last month that Skupski is one of his biggest rivals – but not in the sport where they’ve both made a name for themselves.
Instead, Murray insisted that Skupski is his nemesis in their Fantasy Premier League. The Scottish player said: “His knowledge is not that high, but he spends hours on the apps and website.”
Skupski has been engaged to his long-term girlfriend Cambri Prevost for nearly seven years
Not much is known about Ms. Prevost, but on her Instagram she describes herself as a registered nurse
Skupski grew up in Childwall in Merseyside and started playing tennis at Allerton’s Palmerston Tennis Club, which was adjacent to his family home
After the victory – which did not disappoint the roaring crowd – the pair fell to the floor in celebration
Ahead of today’s game, the 33-year-old said winning the match would be the ‘highlight’ of his career so far.
This afternoon Skupski didn’t have his brother and coach Ken in his box when he took the family on a family holiday to Ibiza on Friday, but he did provide a tactical analysis via video.
Pre-armed with these tactics, they made their move in the first set, breaking Granollers serve when the Spaniard kindly sent a double fault at the breaking point.
Skupski solidified the break with an impressive service game and after missing a set point on Zeballos’ service in the next game, it was left to Koolhof to serve it out nicely to claim the set 6-4.
They continued to dominate, taking Zeballos’ serve crucially to lead 3-2 after a particularly impressive second leg.
Ahead of today’s game, the 33-year-old said it would be the ‘high point’ of his career to date
The victorious couple hugged their opponent’s Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentina’s Horacio Zeballos after today’s victory
Today’s win marks his first Grand Slam men’s doubles title after losing the US Open final last year
The couple lead a jet-setting lifestyle and are pictured together all over the world
Skupski immediately held on to lead 4-2 before they missed two break points to move within a game for the title when Granollers came right.
It is his first Grand Slam title in men’s doubles after losing the US Open final last year.
Throughout his career, which began in 2013, he won 14 ATP Tour doubles titles, including at the Madrid Open, Canadian Open and Paris Masters.
According to First Sportz, Skupski has been engaged to his long-term girlfriend Cambri Prevost for nearly seven years.
Not much is known about Ms. Prevost, but on her Instagram she describes herself as a registered nurse.
The couple lead a jet-setting lifestyle and are pictured together all over the world, with Ms. Prevost often seen supporting her husband at his major tournaments.