"I was watching Grand Slams on TV": Kristina Mladenovic breaks down after Wimbledon comeback title
WTAMonday, 13 July 2026 at 06:30
Kristina Mladenovic struggled to hold back her emotions after completing one of the most remarkable chapters of her career at Wimbledon. The Frenchwoman captured the women’s doubles title alongside China’s Guo Hanyu, defeating second seeds Luisa Stefani and Gabriela Dabrowski 6-3, 7-5 in the final, but the trophy represented far more than another achievement on her résumé.
Just one year ago, Mladenovic was questioning whether she would ever return to this level after a serious foot injury affected her ability to live independently and forced her to confront an uncertain future in tennis.
Standing on Centre Court as a Grand Slam champion again, the former world No. 1 doubles player admitted the journey back had been difficult to comprehend.
“Last year I had so many doubts with this serious injury," Mladenovic said to L'Equipe minutes after lifting her 10th Grand Slam trophy (7 in female doubles, 3 in mixed doubles). "I was simply asking myself if I would ever be able to play at this level again,”
From injury doubts to Wimbledon champion
The 33-year-old Frenchwoman and Guo completed a memorable fortnight in London, defeating second seeds Luisa Stefani and Gabriela Dabrowski in the final after previously overcoming the top-ranked pairing of Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend in the quarter-finals.
For Mladenovic, the victory completed a missing piece in her doubles career. Despite winning nine previous Grand Slam titles across women’s and mixed doubles, Wimbledon had remained the one major where she had not lifted the women’s doubles trophy.
The title became her 10th Grand Slam crown and her first on the grass courts of the All England Club in the women’s doubles event. “Personally, I’m not so much surprised, but deeply moved. It’s truly exceptional."
“I’ve been playing here for 15 years. I played my first final here 12 years ago," Mladenovic added. "To come back like this and win another Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, where I had never won before, with a new partner who I only started playing with this season… there are so many exceptional things.”
Mladenovic also credited the people around her after the emotional celebration, where both she and her brother and coach were visibly moved. “I can only feel proud of myself, my team, and thank them.”
The victory also continues an impressive season for Mladenovic and Guo. The pair have climbed to fourth place in the WTA Race and are now virtually guaranteed a place at the WTA Finals as a Grand Slam-winning team.
After a career that has already included a singles top-10 ranking, a Madrid Open final, Grand Slam singles quarterfinal appearances and a dominant doubles career, Mladenovic showed that her story was far from finished.
A year after watching others compete at the highest level, she was once again standing at the centre of a Grand Slam celebration.
Kristina Mladenovic – Grand Slam Doubles Finals Record
| Year | Grand Slam | Partner | Opponents | Result | Score |
| 2014 | Wimbledon | Tímea Babos | Sara Errani / Roberta Vinci | Loss | 1-6, 3-6 |
| 2016 | Roland Garros | Caroline Garcia | Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina | Win | 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 |
| 2016 | US Open | Caroline Garcia | Bethanie Mattek-Sands / Lucie Šafářová | Loss | 6-2, 6-7(5), 4-6 |
| 2018 | Australian Open | Tímea Babos | Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina | Win | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2018 | US Open | Tímea Babos | Ashleigh Barty / CoCo Vandeweghe | Loss | 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-7(6) |
| 2019 | Australian Open | Tímea Babos | Samantha Stosur / Zhang Shuai | Loss | 3-6, 4-6 |
| 2019 | Roland Garros | Tímea Babos | Duan Yingying / Zheng Saisai | Win | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 2020 | Australian Open | Tímea Babos | Hsieh Su-wei / Barbora Strýcová | Win | 6-2, 6-1 |
| 2020 | Roland Garros | Tímea Babos | Alexa Guarachi / Desirae Krawczyk | Win | 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2022 | Roland Garros | Caroline Garcia | Coco Gauff / Jessica Pegula | Win | 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2024 | US Open | Zhang Shuai | Jeļena Ostapenko / Lyudmyla Kichenok | Loss | 4-6, 3-6 |
| 2026 | Wimbledon | Guo Hanyu | Luisa Stefani / Gabriela Dabrowski | Win | 6-3, 7-5 |
Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist
Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.
His reporting combines statistical analysis with clear explanation, helping readers understand tactical developments, player form, and broader storylines across the tour. Working fluently in both Spanish and English, Cristhián collaborates with an international editorial team and contributes to comprehensive global coverage. As part of his work, he has conducted interviews and media interactions with leading figures in the sport, including Caroline Wozniacki and John McEnroe.
In his journalism, Cristhián places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. His coverage is grounded in research, context, and direct engagement with professional tennis.
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- Well done to the author of this article!! A meltdown is what Coco experienced at the US Open the year she was chirping at her box, very near to tears, double faults were in great supply and she simply could not get a handle on that match. THAT AP is a meltdown!!Rapunzel12-07-2026
- This sensible approach helped Muchova... and look where she will find herself tomorrow (Wimbledon Final). Iga's wise to escape... especially to Nature and so. The wilderness (forests, lakes, mountains) has been my "Church" and escape from The Noise since I was a kid. She'll do well in the end.
mandoist10-07-2026 - "Like if it was hotter, I probably would have won, I'm not gonna lie." Geezus...mandoist08-07-2026
- This one has totally lost the plot. She is about to cross the racism line in her hatred for Russian people. NEWSFLASH DARLING -- Russian majority of citizens (and your ex-Colleagues whom you shamed) are not who you should be aiming at. Grow up.mandoist08-07-2026
- Why do all these "experts" feel the need to publicly "tell players" what they need to do, or what they're doing wrong?? How about this -- if you're so concerned with a player's situation actually take the time to contact the team in question and talk directly to them. Yapping in public media is rarely, if ever, helpful.mandoist07-07-2026
- Gee... preferential treatment all the way to the end? STOP IT WTA & WIMPLEDON !!! This entire WILLIAMS CHARADE is 100% unfair to young upcoming players who legitimately earned a shot at a Wildcard. The whole scenario with these freebies to The Williams' is pathetic and barely within the rules (which have been bent like a pretzel to accomodate them). The lamest excuse this time is "...she is a top draw". How does that apply to Wimbledon which is sold-out in advance? Stop enabling this abhorrent "Look at me" behavior. If they want to make believe they can compete -- LET THEM PLAY QUAILIFIERS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.mandoist06-07-2026
- Is it not clear there is a mental issue here? I mean, her judgement is very suspect given her personal life 'experiences'.mandoist06-07-2026
- Are you kidding me with this soft "article"??? WTF?? Djerkovic should be DISQUALIFIED just as anyone else at WimPledon would have been for his behavior!! So what you should be writing about is how the stuffed shirts on Wimpledon's executive board and ATP can no longer hide, nor lie about, their FAVORITISM. We now have seen (and heard) that, as in politics and world of CEO's, "who" you are can afford Elitists the luxury of escaping the usual penalties according to their own bona fide rules/reg's. Not totally surprising coming from organizations which perform special rule-breaking stunts as giving the undeserving, unranked Williams' some young upcoming player's Wildcards. Neither Williams earned these WC's... let them enter via Qualifiers like anyone else!!!mandoist06-07-2026
- Real fans of the sport, that's who.mandoist06-07-2026
- I agree with Reilly, who cares about doubles reallySakkariFan2305-07-2026
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