LiveSunday · 11 October 2026Vol. VIII · No. 284
Bangalore
21°C · Clear
Sun, 11 Oct
Latest
Sports

Drama, celebrations and outfits - our end-of-Wimbledon awards

This year's Wimbledon has been full of excitement, interesting stories and great British success - Naomi Broady runs through her favourite moments.

Wimbledon is always a very special tournament and one of the crown jewels of the British summer of sport.

The 2026 tournament has been no different - full of excitement, great stories and, after a slow start for the home nation, some great British success.

With a high level of tennis, the gorgeous weather and the addition of England doing well in the World Cup, I think it truly has been a great Championships.

In my final column this year, I have picked out the best bits of the past fortnight and you can also pick your favourite match.

Never mind the Oscars, here are our Wimbledon 2026 Awards...

Best story: Arthur's Wimbledon 'Fery-tale'

There was some early doom and gloom for the Brits, and for a moment it felt like we wouldn't have any home singles players left at all.

But then Arthur Fery appeared out of nowhere to carry Britain through the tournament.

A wildcard reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals is a rarity and simply an incredible feat. It was really cool to see a Brit living out the dream of so many players.

He lost the opening set in his first-round match against Damir Dzumhur - and in each of his next two matches - but showed incredible mentality to fight back.

To take advantage of the draw opening up like it did, and to not let the moments become bigger than the matches, was very impressive.

This is a real springboard opportunity for Arthur to further build his career.

Also, I absolutely love Alexandra Eala so I was pleased to see her reach the last 16 of a major for the first time.

I think she brings so much to our sport - with her game, her infectious personality and her incredible fanbase, who are so noisy - and I hope she continues to progress up the rankings.

Other honourable mentions:

Serena Williams making her long-awaited singles comeback

Jannik Sinner overcoming heat issues to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles

Biggest drama: Noskova's remarkable recovery

How Linda Noskova won the women's title is one of the best examples of a mental reset I've seen in a long time.

Watching Noskova go from leading 6-2 5-2 to being in a deciding set was hard to watch, because I know how quickly those doubts can creep in when a match starts to turn.

It would have been so easy for her head to drop, especially after Karolina Muchova had all the momentum.

Drama, celebrations and outfits - our end-of-Wimbledon awards

The way she managed to recover was so impressive. She came back out for the third set looking like she had put everything that had happened behind her and just trusted her tennis again.

That's much easier said than done. And she's only 21!

Before Saturday's extraordinary final, the most climactic moment for me was Muchova beating Gauff in a thrilling tie-break in the semi-finals.

Muchova made two ridiculous volleys - including a diving one - slipped on her first match point, and Gauff missed a match point when she went with the slice forehand at the net.

For there to be play like that in a tie-break for a place in the Wimbledon final was amazing to watch.

Best match: Djokovic defying age in five-hour win

I'm going to pick Novak Djokovic's extraordinary win over Felix Auger-Aliassime as my match of the tournament.

It was the longest Wimbledon quarter-final in history and the atmosphere under the roof as the 11pm curfew approached was incredible.

It went down to the wire and once again Novak showed why he is, for many, the GOAT of our sport.

Novak did what Novak does - finding a way to beat one of the fittest, most athletic younger guys at the age of 39.

How he's still able to keep himself conditioned physically, and switch on mentally to play a five-setter like this, is astonishing - especially given how little tennis he has been playing outside of the Slams.

I must also pick one of Fery's wins. I thought the third round against Zizou Bergs was the most exciting, when he came back from 4-1 down in both the fourth and the fifth sets.

Best outfit: Osaka's kimono

This has been the year of the walk-on outfits.

We've seen Naomi Osaka regularly push the boundaries between sport and fashion by walking out like she is on catwalk.

At Wimbledon, she walked out in a Japanese kimono which I thought was so elegant.

I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but personally I've been enjoying the walk-out looks and think it brings a different, refreshing element to our sport.

We want the players to express themselves and see their personality shine through.

It's all good fun and that's the way it should be.

While lots of players looked amazing - and I'm sure a team of people behind the scenes poured blood, sweat and tears into the looks - my favourite outfit was actually the guy who turned up on Centre Court dressed as a strawberry.

Related in Sports

Man City's statement win has feeling of irrelevance with season in limbo
Sports

Man City's statement win has feeling of irrelevance with season in limbo

Manchester City record what they will view as a statement win at Liverpool - but is it a statement that carries any weight during a Premier League season in limbo, asks Phil McNulty?

BBC Sport11 Oct
Winless and an 'easy touch' - what's happened to the Anfield fear factor?
Sports

Winless and an 'easy touch' - what's happened to the Anfield fear factor?

Liverpool's struggles at Anfield continue as Iraola still awaits his first Premier League win at Anfield.

BBC Sport11 Oct
Doku delights as Manchester City cruise past 10-man Liverpool
Sports

Doku delights as Manchester City cruise past 10-man Liverpool

In their first match since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules, Manchester City enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win against Liverpool at Anfield to extend their perfect start to six matches, as they moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League.

BBC Sport11 Oct
Hamilton apologises to Ferrari as Antonelli moves to brink of title
Sports

Hamilton apologises to Ferrari as Antonelli moves to brink of title

Lewis Hamilton's incorrect strategy call during the Singapore Grand Prix means Kimi Antonelli can win the world title at the next race in Austin.

BBC Sport11 Oct
Burnham to release details of Man City meetings
Sports

Burnham to release details of Man City meetings

Andy Burnham has faced criticism for comments he made in the wake of Manchester City being found guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial rules.

BBC Sport11 Oct
Mahmud takes Test hat-trick - can you name the others in past 40 years?
Sports

Mahmud takes Test hat-trick - can you name the others in past 40 years?

Bangladesh seamer Hasan Mahmud takes a hat-trick - but can you name all the others to do so in a men's Test in the past 40 years?

BBC Sport11 Oct

Latest Across Vijaya Chronicle

‘Upload whatever they give’: AEROs allege pressure to clear SIR notices without hearings
Local

‘Upload whatever they give’: AEROs allege pressure to clear SIR notices without hearings

AEROs allege pressure to clear SIR notices before hearings, accepting any documents to meet deadlines, risking inaccurate enrollments.

The Hindu — Bangalore11 Oct
KLU hosts ‘Skill Palaver’ to make students industry-ready
Politics

KLU hosts ‘Skill Palaver’ to make students industry-ready

KL Deemed to be University hosts Skill Palaver 2026–27 to boost students' industry-ready technical skills and real-world project experience.

The Hindu11 Oct
Brain Stimulation Centre inaugurated at Lalitha PVS Institute of Medical Sciences in Guntur
Politics

Brain Stimulation Centre inaugurated at Lalitha PVS Institute of Medical Sciences in Guntur

Lalitha Brain Stimulation Centre in Guntur debuts rTMS therapy to enhance stroke rehabilitation alongside multidisciplinary care and advanced neuro-rehab tools.

The Hindu11 Oct
Two loco pilots injured in separate stone-pelting attacks near Tuni, Samalkot railway station
Politics

Two loco pilots injured in separate stone-pelting attacks near Tuni, Samalkot railway station

Two loco pilots injured in separate stone-pelting incidents near Tuni and Samalkot railway stations, with suspects in custody.

The Hindu11 Oct
Vettri Payanam Thittam: what is the economic mileage of a no-fare bus ride?
Politics

Vettri Payanam Thittam: what is the economic mileage of a no-fare bus ride?

Tamil Nadu's Vettri Payanam Thittam expands no-fare buses, costing ₹6,000 crore with unclear SROI and mobility, labour, and income benefits.

The Hindu11 Oct
CJI Surya Kant declines Opposition leaders' request for meet over SIR, CEC Gyanesh Kumar; cites judicial propriety
Crime

CJI Surya Kant declines Opposition leaders' request for meet over SIR, CEC Gyanesh Kumar; cites judicial propriety

The Opposition’s proposed intervention also comes amid its continuing campaign against the SIR exercise and allegations of irregularities in electoral rolls. | India News

Hindustan Times11 Oct