It took three tries, but one of the greats of women's tennis added to her amazing record in the end.
Serena Williams had lost this year's French and Australian Open finals, but, at Wimbledon, she made it 22 Grand Slam triumphs.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray claimed his second men's Wimbledon crown.
In football, Portugal achieved the unimaginable, defeating tournament host France in the European Championship final.
The victory delivered the country its first major international trophy.
There were no firsts for Queensland, which, indeed, wrapped up its 10th State of Origin series victory in 11 years in Rugby League.
Nor for cycling's Chris Froome (froom) at the Tour de France, the British rider collecting his third title at the great race.
In golf, at the British Open, Henrik Stenson became the first man from Sweden to win a major title.
And Jimmy Walker beat Australia's Jason Day by a stroke to win the PGA Championship.
Back to tennis, and Stan Wawrinka (vuh-VRINK-uh) reminded us what he is still capable of, defeating Novak Djokovic in the last Grand Slam final of the year, the US Open.
Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber (AN-jel-eek KER-ber) underscored her ascendency in women's tennis with a trophy there in New York.
In Rio de Janeiro, Australia's Olympians got off to a strong start.
More successes were to follow, but Australia's Olympians still had to fend off criticism after a 10th-place finish in the medal tally.
The country's Paralympians more than doubled that haul, with 22 gold in their treasure chest.
Then, Australia was gripped by underdog fever.
In the AFL, it was the Western Bulldogs ending a 62-year premiership wait in their victory over the Sydney Swans.
In the NRL, Cronulla Sharks fans rejoiced after an epic first-ever rugby-league premiership, the Sharks defeating the Melbourne Storm in the decider.
Football's new A-League season got off to a record start, with 60,000 people watching the Sydney derby.
In horseracing, in the Melbourne Cup, after 3,200 metres, the difference came down to a nose.
In rugby union, New Zealand's All Blacks set a record with 18 Test victories in a row.
It was an improved showing for the Wallabies on their Spring Tour, although they would still go down to Ireland and England and miss out on the elusive Grand Slam in that sport.
The summer of cricket arrived with hope for Australia but, instead, brought much despair.
South Africa dominated the Test series on the field and in the headlines after its captain, Faf du Plessis, was charged with ball-tampering.
