Wimbledon Special: If Premier League Footballers Were Tennis Champions...

With the 125th Wimbledon Championships underway in southwest London, we needed a way to somehow divert the tennis attention back to football.

My attempt is a look at the most iconic Wimbledon champions in history and attempt to find Premier League footballers with similar traits.

Not one to be taken seriously, but I hope you enjoy it...

Suggestions welcome if I've missed any good ones.

Nationality: Swedish

Wimbledon Titles: Five (1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980)

Aside from the obvious fact they're both from Sweden, Bjorn Borg and Freddie Ljungberg have something else in common.

Borg has his own line of boxer shorts, and Ljungberg has modeled boxers for Calvin Klein.

Nationality: American

Wimbledon Titles: Three (1981, 1983, 1984)

Both men burst onto the scene as teenagers, lighting up their respective sports with aggressive attacking play.

And both have a serious temper that's gotten them into trouble.

Sporting toddler tantrum anybody?

Nationality: Swiss

Wimbledon Titles: Six (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)

Both men are dignified on the field of play and have the universal respect of their peers.

And both have enjoyed spectacular success in their sport. Giggs has 12 Premier League titles, Federer 16 Grand Slams.

Nationality: Spanish

Wimbledon Titles: Two (2008, 2010)

Both men are supreme athletes who use their power and strength to blast opponents into submission.

Nadal's been considerably more successful of late, but Gerrard's Liverpool could be due a return to prominence.

Nationality: American

Wimbledon Titles: Seven (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)

Both men are great athletes and dominated their respective competition—Wimbledon for Sampras, the Premier League for Lampard.

But both stand accused of being boring. And, let's be honest, it's hard to get excited about either of them.

Nationality: American

Wimbledon Titles: One (1973)

Seriously tough competitors with a nasty streak—it's a description that fits both Connors and Barton perfectly.

And when you consider Connors only won Wimbledon once and Barton hasn't really won anything, underachievement could also be leveled at both men.

Nationality: German

Wimbledon Titles: Three (1985, 1986, 1989)

Both men are physically powerful and can be intimidating opponents.

They're also out-and-out attack-minded and take the most direct route to their respective goals. For Becker it was serve-and-volley tennis; for Drogba whatever it takes to get to the ball before his marker.

Nationality: American

Wimbledon Titles: One (1992)

Aside from the obvious fact that both men have shaved heads, consider this...

Reina is a goalkeeper and thus stays at the very back of the field the entire game. Agassi had exactly the same approach as a tennis player, rarely coming to the net unless he absolutely had to.

Nationality: American (previously Czech)

Wimbledon Titles: Seven (1976, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986)

Both achieved a quite remarkable dominance over the competition, deploying a no-nonsense style and fierce competitiveness.

Oh, and both wear glasses.