Wimbledon 2026 is done, and with it, some new names emerged that will remain part of the tennis lexicon forever. Linda Noskova is just 21 years old and will likely win many more important tournaments, but no one can ever dismiss that she won a major after taking the title on the WTA side.
A Grand Slam always brings epic storylines. A qualifier reached the men's semifinals, after all. (More on that in a minute.) One thing is clear, though: The sports misses Carlos Alcaraz. His energy and smile are needed, but his injury issues remain a long-term concern.
Who isn't included in the below are who took home the trophies. Those players are obvious winners. What matters is the memories and what temporary success could mean in the long run. Because of that, the players below reached epic success or epic failure at this year's Wimbledon.
Winners from Wimbledon 2026
Naomi Osaka
She might not have won the event, but the former WTA No. 1 does appear to be inching closer to her previous Grand Slam-winning form. She reached the quarterfinals for the first time, and she lost to an eventual finalist, Karolina Muchova, who pushed Noskova over three sets in the end.
Osaka is a fan-favorite for many reasons, and her success is good for tennis. The hope is that she can transition her recent uptick in form to the hard-court season, making a true run at the title at the US Open.
Czech women's tennis
This isn't the first year that a Czech woman has won Wimbledon, of course, but the trend is becoming the norm. In three of the past four years, a player from Czechia has won the title. In 2026, the entire final featured women from the country, and both Noskova and Muchova could make a run in the next several years, too.
Whatever is happening in Czechia as far as preparing players for grass-court events needs to be taught worldwide. There is some magic happening, and it's fun to watch.
Arthur Fery
Fery was living every tennis fan's dream this year. He grew up near the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and slept in his own bed while making his way to a stunning semifinal appearance. He likely had no chance once he reached that round against any of the other three players involved, but that's beside the point. Just reaching the semis was brilliant.
The hope is that Fery can now turn his rapid rise up the ATP rankings (he will move up 78 spots to No. 36 when the new rankings are released) into a long and successful career. No one wants him to never be heard from again. That would diminish what he did at Wimbledon 2026.
Losers from Wimbledon 2026
Aryna Sabalenka
As consistently great as Sabalenka has been over the last many years, her relative lack of success at majors is getting concerning. She has four Grand Slam titles, but she's only won half of her finals. Her game should transition to grass courts well, but it doesn't.
After getting to the semifinals at Wimbledon in each of her three previous appearances (she missed the tournament twice in the past five years), she reached only the fourth round in 2026. That isn't good enough for a player of the Belarusian's caliber.
Ben Shelton
Like Sabalenka, Shelton needs to start rising to the bigger occasions. Unlike Sabalenka, the American hasn't won a major yet. Shelton is trending toward being the kind of player who was always expected to be dangerous, but could never quite win the important titles. Plus, losing in the first round to Otto Virtanen is simply unacceptable.
Shelton did win the Canadian Open last year, but he hasn't made the final of any other Masters 1000 or major. The frustrating part is that he could be great for American tennis. He is a nice guy off the court and emotional on it, and with a win or two at a major, he would be a star.
Iga Swiatek
Swiatek changed her game ahead of last year's Wimbledon to try to hit her forehand bigger and be more aggressive. It worked, as she took the title. The odd part is that she hasn't been able to claim a title in 2026, and her being bounced out in the third round this year will cause her ranking to plummet.
She was No. 3 on the WTA tour before the grass-court major, but will be No. 8 when the new rankings are released. She's still good, of course, but she appears to be nowhere near the form that kept her at No. 1 for so long. The WTA no longer belongs to her.
