Best of Wimbledon 2026: The moments that defined the Championships

By now, the post-Wimbledon fatigue is only beginning to set in, but the tennis calendar has already moved on. Two long weeks at the All England Club have already given way to tournaments in Athens and Iasi.

Before fully shifting our attention from the Grass-Court Swing and embarking on the road to the season's final major in New York, it feels right to take one last look at the best of what the All England Club had on offer this year.

Between new Grand Slam champions bursting onto the scene and a fortnight filled with memorable quotes, matches and, well, shots that will be replayed for years to come -- looking at you, Karolina Muchova -- here is the best of Wimbledon 2026.

New champions crowned

Linda Noskova made it two first-time Grand Slam champions in a row, following Mirra Andreeva's breakthrough at Roland Garros to capture her first major title at Wimbledon. In the process, the 21-year-old became the 27th player in the Open Era to win the Wimbledon ladies' singles crown.

She also became the 10th different winner in the past 10 editions of the Championships, a first in the Open Era, as well as the youngest champion since countrywoman Petra Kvitova in 2011.

Noskova wasn't the only new Grand Slam champ. Guo Hanyu, 28, won her first major title by taking home the ladies' doubles trophy with former doubles World No. 1 Kristina Mladenovic. Their run was an impressive one: They beat No. 1 seeds and reigning Roland Garros champions Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinals, then toppled No. 2 seeds Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani in the final.

Breaking the curse

Noskova's Wimbledon title came with no shortage of milestones. But perhaps the most unexpected was this: She became the first player since Maria Sharapova in 2004 to win both a WTA Tour grass-court lead-up event and Wimbledon in the same season.

After more than two decades of near misses, the grass warm-up "curse" is finally over.

Say that again

Wimbledon delivered no shortage of memorable quotes. Here are some of the best, from heartfelt to hilarious.

• Noskova, during the trophy presentation: "There's also one more person I would like to thank, which is my mom," she said through tears. "I definitely would not be standing here without her, so thank you."

• Muchova, during her runner-up speech: "It's really tough to find any words, but I'll start with Linda, my ex-friend," she joked to the crowd despite the tears. "I'm kidding, obviously, kind of."
• Coco Gauff, after beating Belinda Bencic minutes before curfew: "I was looking at the clock the last service game," she said. "I was like, ‘I gotta hit some big serves and big shots.’ ... This was probably the most dramatic finish. I’ve never had to race against time. Playing tennis, we’re used to not having a clock. But honestly, today I felt the pressure. I'm glad I didn't choose basketball."

• Alexandra Eala, after reaching the fourth round: "I'm really emotional," she said, tearing up. "Maybe for someone like Iga, who's won so many Slams, or maybe for someone like Serena or Venus, this achievement may seem small. But for someone who grew up in the Philippines -- I went to train with my brother and my grandfather every day after school, with my ruffled socks and light-up shoes and chubby cheeks -- to her this is everything."
• Madison Keys, after beating Katie Swan: "I've actually petitioned to maybe move the Eastbourne courts to Wimbledon," she said jokingly with Kate Middleton in attendance. "I don't know if anyone here can make that happen!"

Three-setters in vogue

The names above played their share of three-setters across the fortnight. The final was a memorable three-set affair: Noskova led 5-2 in the second set and held five championship points before Muchova rallied to steal it 7-5 and force a decider. Ultimately, Noskova showed champion's grit, breaking early in the third set before rightfully claiming her crown -- the moment that produced the quote above and left nary a dry eye on Centre Court.

It followed an equally, if not more, dramatic semifinal between Muchova and Gauff, in which Muchova saved a match point in a deciding tiebreak before winning it 12-10 to reach her second major final. Gauff, meanwhile, lived life on the edge throughout the tournament, winning four straight three-setters. She escaped Solana Sierra in the second round after trailing 7-4 in a match-tiebreak, then capped the run with a win over friend and former doubles partner Jessica Pegula to reach her first Wimbledon semifinal.

Other notable three-setters included Jasmine Paolini's win over Eala to reach the quarterfinals and Noskova's third-round victory over Sorana Cirstea, in which she saved a match point before cashing in later with the ultimate prize.

(Some of) the hottest hot shots

The match tiebreak between Muchova and Gauff was high in drama and high in quality, featuring exhaustion, fearless shot-making and exceptional defense. At 4-3, with Muchova on serve, she sent a forehand into the corner that forced Gauff on the run. Gauff dug it out and fired the return crosscourt, but Muchova, with perfect anticipation, hit a diving volley winner -- perhaps the defining shot of her semifinal, and arguably of her run to the final.

But that wasn't the only hot shot. Earlier in the third set, with Gauff trying to level at 4-4, she drew Muchova in with a drop shot before showing off her touch at the net, finishing the point with a crisp volley winner.

And, of course, the champ deserves her spotlight. Between backhand slices and tweeners in the final, and thunderous winners throughout her run, Noskova produced plenty of highlights. But "The Play of the Day" from her fourth-round win over Keys stands out. She started with two pinpoint backhands that pushed Keys back, followed by a scrambling get to stay in the rally and a putaway into the open court that moved her within two points of victory. She eventually closed out the win in straight sets.

Earning five stars

In saving a match point against Cirstea, defeating a Grand Slam champion in Keys and ultimately capturing her first major title, Noskova headlines the group of players earning five-star reviews for their performances this week.

Joining her are:

• Guo -- Won her first Grand Slam title
• Mladenovic -- Won her first Grand Slam title since 2022
• Muchova -- Reached her first Wimbledon final, second Grand Slam final
• Gauff -- Reached her first Wimbledon semifinal
• Eala -- First Filipino -- man or woman -- to reach a Grand Slam fourth round in the Open Era, upset defending champion Iga Swiatek, did this⬇️

• Paolini -- Reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2024 Wimbledon final
• Marta Kostyuk -- Reached her first Wimbledon semifinal
• Naomi Osaka -- Upset Aryna Sabalenka, reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal
• Ashlyn Krueger -- Reached her first Grand Slam second week

Girls make history

Before you go, a couple slices of history in the girls' category. 

Czech duo Jana Kovackova and Katerina Zajickova won the girls doubles title with a 7-6 (7), 6-7 (5), [10-6] victory over Victoria Luiza Barros and Nauhany Vitoria Leme da Silva in 1 hour and 53 minutes. In doing so, Kovackova became the first player to complete a non-calendar-year Grand Slam in girls' doubles.

She won the 2025 US Open and 2026 Australian Open titles with her older sister, Alena, before winning the 2026 Roland Garros title with Zajickova. Eight players had previously won three straight girls' doubles Grand Slam titles, but none had completed the non-calendar-year Grand Slam.

Meanwhile, Anna Pushkareva, 17, outlasted China's Sun Xinran to win the Wimbledon girls' singles title in the longest junior girls final in tournament history. Pushkareva, the No. 14 seed, came from a set down to defeat Sun 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 in 2 hours and 23 minutes.

The victory avenged two previous losses to Sun, one in their only professional meeting last October in Sharm el-Sheikh, and another in a junior meeting on clay in Milan earlier this year.