Roger Federer defeatedAndy Murray in the final, 4–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–4 to win the gentlemen's singles tennis title at the2012 Wimbledon Championships.[1] It was his seventhWimbledon title and record-extending 17thmajor title overall.[2] With the win, Federer regained theworld No. 1 singles ranking.[3][4] He equalledWilliam Renshaw andPete Sampras' all-time record of seven Wimbledon titles, as well as Sampras' record of 286 weeks as world No. 1. This was the first major final since the2010 Australian Open not to featureNovak Djokovic orRafael Nadal, a span of nine events (incidentally, the 2010 Australian Open final also pitted Federer against Murray). It was Murray's fourth runner-up finish in a major final.
Djokovic was the defending champion, but lost in the semifinals to Federer.
Murray was the first British man to reach the final sinceBunny Austin in1938. The championships was also notable for one of the biggest upsets in recent years, when world No. 100Lukáš Rosol beat world No. 2 and two-time champion Nadal in the second round, ending Nadal's streak of 11 major quarterfinals and of five (non-consecutive) Wimbledon finals. The loss also marked the end of Nadal's season, as he did not play tennis again untilFebruary 2013.