WimbleSpin: 16 Takeaways from Wimbledon 2016

Good night. Wimbledon didn't disappoint in its 2016 iteration. The likes of Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka were missing in action, certainly for different reasons, and yet scads and oodles of drama ensued over two weeks in London. On the heels of giving the French Open the same treatment, here is the Spin's take on the highlights and lowlights of another All England Club delight:

16. Roger Federer may have been a bit off-kilter in his semifinal loss to Milos Raonic, but his GIF game was mighty fine during this past fortnight. Witness this after his three-match-points-saved, five-set victory over Marin Cilic in the quarters.

Postscript: He also staged a fairly funny press conference, that after his second-round win.

PPS: In were-they-or-weren't-they? news, Fed fan Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk had an awkward moment on camera. (And no, the latter wasn't crying after a vision of Federer's impending loss.) Reportedly, Shayk was suffering from a pollen allergy. (Thanks, grass!)

15. Viktor Troicki lost it. And then lost the match. This was indubitably the meltdown of the tournament, and it also claims top honors for the Iron Lungs on Tour award.

But here's the rub: Heather Watson received the biggest monetary penalty of this event, charged $12,000 for what basically amounted to disturbing the SW19 sod.

14. All was not well between Feliciano Lopez and Jose Perlas, Fabio Fognini's coach, who engaged in a verbal spat after Lopez's five-set victory. (To note, Lopez said later that his issue had nothing to do with the mercurial Fognini himself.)

13. It was quieter than Troicki's, to be sure, but it says here that Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers staged the most repulsive display of behavior at the event, accosting their chair umpire in a doubles match—she had to be escorted away from the court after the bro-haha was over—and even threatening to relieve themselves (in a word, urine) on court.

12. Conversely, witness the sportsmanship of Svetlana Kuznetsova and Sloane Stephens; Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with both John Isner and Richard Gasquet; and Agnieszka Radwanska with both Dominika Cibulkova and Ana Konjuh (who had match points on her second-round opponent before twisting an ankle).

Sideline: A few fairly streaky players, including Eugenie Bouchard and Sabine Lisicki, did find ways to enjoy this beautiful sport—more so in doubles, where camaraderie takes center stage.

11. In the upset of the tournament (really, the year to date), Sam Querrey topped defending and expected champion Novak Djokovic. Querrey didn't just nail aces and forehands all match; he also managed to out-clown the Djoker with his ballyhooed Vine-video performances.

10. In a timely and terribly beautiful moment for the world, Serena Williams read Maya Angelou's "Still I Rise" for the BBC.

Her comments on race relations, unrest and death stateside—while across the pond—were similarly stirring.

Sideline: Louisa Thomas' piece forThe New Yorker about "a political Wimbledon" is a must-read. ]

9. Leave it to Lleyton Hewitt—partnering with Jordan Thompson—to win a Wimbledon doubles match 19-17 in the final set, saving eight match points, no less. Good to see there's still some bite in the Cobra.

8. Dustin Brown's "tweener drop-shot winner" went down as the shot of the tournament. Though it poured salt in the wound for Nick Kyrgios on a particular point, the flashy Aussie still managed to win.

7. Speaking of the Kurious One, it was, in his words, "love at first sight" for his manufactured bromance with Andy Murray. That was put on pause for their Monday round-of-16 clash, which Murray won handily, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4, against a foe whose shot selection and execution both came into question. Murray went so far as to say Kyrgios could use the assistance of a sports psychologist, and some (himself included) said the fiery shot-maker was too "soft" to properly compete for Grand Slam glory.

8. Paternalistic reign carried on this fortnight, much to the chagrin of many observers and some players. There was the irritation of Venus Williams, a five-time singles champion at SW19 with doubles plaudits to boot, being placed on Court 18, among other outer courts.

Not all the players loved the scheduling, or, sometimes, the perceived lack thereof. Exhibit A: Caroline Garcia's post, retweeted by Sara Errani.

7. But back to Venus. Always one to seize on lemons and turn them into lemonade, she delivered the arguable best quote of the tournament.

6. Rain played a significant role in Week 1 at this Wimbledon, leading Serena and Gilles Simon to openly complain and even threaten to sue. That forced organizers to put into play Middle Sunday matches for just the fourth time in 139 years. (The other three times: 1991, 1997 and 2004.) That made for a delightful People's Sunday, in which many fans who might have queued up for tickets, only to be denied, actually got onto the grounds to take in some great tennis.

Yaroslava Shvedova, who had a rather smashing Wimbledon, was right to christen the event "Swimbledon." Should I have heard this term before? Regardless, kudos to Slava.

Sideline: Never mind that a good many stars of the sport, Shvedova and Venus included, struggle to correctly spell "Wimbledon." It matters less in light of the fantastic images they shared throughout the fortnight.

5. Dominika Cibulkova delivered a shock to the event when she outlasted Radwanska in their scintillating fourth-round match. She then proceeded to wed her love, Miso Navara, back in Bratislava, and all was right in her world.

4. Venus and Serena won women's doubles for the sixth time. It goes without saying, so we'll say it: The Williams’ restored their dominance at SW19. Indeed, we're at SW22 and counting, now.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert took the men's tandem title. The Williams sisters can boast accomplishments aplenty, but the tennis gods definitely got it right in seeing Mahut through to a grass-court major title. The score 70-68 may be forever etched in the minds of tennis fans, as well as in Mahut's own noggin. In a lovely little nod to competition past, John Isner, his vanquisher in the all-time longest match, shouted him out:

3. Great Britain's Heather Watson and Finland's Henri Kontinen delivered one of this Wimbledon's best surprises, claiming the mixed doubles title and delivering a perfect coda to Murray's singles triumph. (The U.K. deserved this in its post-Brexit world.)

Watson also brought us the event's most adorable mum.

2. Perhaps only Serena can fall like this and not need medical attention ...

... and certainly only she can plant the likes of Beyonce in her corner. (By the way, many luminaries saluted Serena and Venus' achievements. Just know that a back and forth between Donald Trump and Serena *did not happen*.)

That said, she was rarely wrong-footed otherwise in the event, be it in singles or doubles play. She tied Steffi Graf at 22 singles majors and claimed both her 14th Wimbledon title overall and, all alongside Venus, her 14th major doubles title. So come now, Nike: Are we really going to posit that she's an underdog?

1. It's true: Murray was the No. 1 man at this tournament, and with Djokovic disposed of early and Nadal a non-starter, he was the far and away favorite to win the title after Novak, the ATP's top gun. What to say but this: He made it happen. He beat the seven men placed before him and garnered his second Wimbledon. What's more, he did it without the aid of the eight pack depicted here:

On top of that, he has clearly sorted his relationship with the British press. So forget you, Madame Tussauds.

In closing, this adorability:

Your turn, Wimble-fans: What did I omit? And what are your own top takeaways from this third major of the year?

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9. For more on- and off-court coverage of the game, go to baseline.tennis.com.