This week marks the 50th anniversary since the inception of the Open Era. This new epoch for tennis began in 1968  - and in the past five decades, there have been plenty of amazing champions and stunning records.

The first event of the Open Era was the British Hard Court Open Championships, in Bournemouth, England - and it was won by Virginia Wade, who would go on to capture three Grand Slam titles including Wimbledon in 1977. 

Margaret Court’s 21 titles in 1970 remains the best single-season effort by any woman in the Open Era, her run taking in a calendar year Grand Slam of all four majors - and Martina Navratilova won more Open Era titles than any other, in both singles (167, including a record 1,442 match wins) and doubles (177).

For more memories from the Open Era, check out this gallery, featuring Venus, Serena, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King and more!