In the best traditions of sporting theatre, Wimbledon held back the most memorable moments of the 2016 Championships until the last couple of days.

Andy Murray’s victory over Milos Raonic, his second triumph at the All England Club and his third Grand Slam, unleashed a torrent of jubilation across the nation just 24 hours after Serena Williams had earned the admiration and plaudits of the tennis world, as well as Centre Court, by winning her 22nd Grand Slam title to match Steffi Graf’s record of major honours in the Open era, stretching back to 1968.

Both of the 2016 singles titles were captured impressively and in straight sets: Murray by an intelligent, all-court display of counter-punching against the raw power of the 6ft 5in Canadian, a repeat of his success in the Queen’s Club final a month earlier, and Williams by a non-stop fireworks show which overwhelmed the German left-hander Angelique Kerber.

There had been an ominous inevitability about Serena’s progress in defence of the title she won here a year ago. Since then, three Grand Slam finals had seen her on the losing end, but this was Wimbledon, her home from home, and the seventh hoisting of the Venus Rosewater Dish seemed to be nothing less than she – and the rest of us – had been expecting.

There was further joy for the Williams family when, a couple of hours after Serena’s singles triumph, she teamed up with elder sister Venus to take the doubles title. This was a well-earned reward for the ever popular Venus who, at 36, had been nudged closer towards retirement when she went out in the singles semi-finals to the non-stop aggression of Kerber, who turned out to be the other star personality of the ladies’ draw, surging into the final without dropping a set and showing the form which brought her the Australian Open title over Serena in January.

Murray’s run to the final had been boosted by two massive upsets. Seismic shock of a first week which suffered adverse weather was the departure of the defending champion and runaway world No.1, Novak Djokovic. Looking out of form and out of sorts, Djokovic, the holder of all four Slams, was blown away by the giant American Sam Querrey and said simply that the better man won on the day. This apparently cleared the way in his half of the draw for the 34-year-old Roger Federer to add to his collection of seven Wimbledon singles titles, only for a second memorable upset in the shape of a defeat for the Swiss by Raonic.

With John McEnroe acting as a part-time coach/advisor to Raonic, which was apparent in the Canadian’s improved volleying skills, the scene was set for a clash of the celebrity coaches, with the recently returned Ivan Lendl seated impassively in Murray’s corner. Much was made of Lendl’s “stone face”, but he has never been one to spend much time in unnecessary cavorting and, as someone who got to know him well in his playing days, I can vouch for his keen sense of humour and ready wit. Ivan smiles when there is something to smile about, as he proved when Murray won on Centre Court on Sunday.

As ever, a memorable (and daily) sight was the crowd gathered on Henman Hill (real name Aorangi Terrace) to watch the play on a giant screen, whether it was Murray, Serena or perhaps one of the 23 ladies entered in the singles draw whose name ended in “ova”.

Another memorable moment was a long overdue Wimbledon title for that most persistent of Frenchmen, Nicolas Mahut. A plaque on the wall of Court 18 testifying to his involvement in the longest singles match in history, in excess of 11 hours, which he lost to John Isner, had been his only lasting mark on Wimbledon until he teamed up with Pierre-Hugues Herbert to lift the Gentlemen’s Doubles on Saturday evening.

Beard of the tournament was sported by Torben Beltz, Kerber’s coach, who vowed not to shave until she lost and was spared the razor until the intervention of Serena Williams.

Despite the wretched weather of the first week, it was remarkable how many people clearly enjoyed and treasured their day out at The All England Club. One young businessman, paying his first visit to The Championships, called it “a great experience” and told me: “Everything was so perfectly done. They even put a lid on the glass of Pimm’s”.