Gabriela Dabrowski came close to clinching her first Wimbledon title, marking a remarkable return to the women’s doubles final after her battle with breast cancer, a journey that garnered admiration from Kate, the Princess of Wales.
On Saturday, Kate engaged with Ottawa’s Dabrowski and her Brazilian partner, Luisa Stefani, prior to the women’s singles final. She praised Dabrowski as an “inspiration” for making it back to the grass-court Grand Slam final following her diagnosis in 2024.
At the close of that year, Dabrowski revealed that she had undergone two surgeries to address her breast cancer after being diagnosed in April.
Determined to compete, she postponed treatment to participate in the 2024 Wimbledon final alongside former partner Erin Routliffe, and at the Paris Olympics, where she snagged a mixed-doubles bronze with Félix Auger-Aliassime.
Kate, who also faced a cancer diagnosis in 2024, shared a heartfelt conversation with Dabrowski about “pursuing the passions that bring you joy” during the recovery process.
Unfortunately, on Sunday, Dabrowski and Stefani fell short in their inaugural Grand Slam final appearance as a duo, losing 6-3, 7-5 to France’s Kristina Mladenovic and China’s Guo Hanyu.
This marks Dabrowski’s third runner-up finish at Wimbledon, having previously lost in the women’s doubles finals in 2024 and 2019 with different partners.
She celebrated triumphs at the U.S. Open doubles in 2023 and 2025, as well as the 2024 WTA Tour doubles final, all alongside Routliffe.
For Stefani, this was her first experience in a Grand Slam doubles final after successfully reaching the semifinals of both the Australian Open and French Open earlier this year with Dabrowski.
Mladenovic celebrated her seventh career Grand Slam women’s doubles title, and her first at the All England Club.
She has won the French Open doubles four times and the Australian Open twice with different partners but faced defeat in her sole previous Wimbledon final back in 2014.
“It’s truly a dream,” exclaimed the French player, who missed significant time last year due to an injury. “I can hardly believe what has just transpired.”
Mladenovic and Guo have only teamed up this year, making this a landmark Grand Slam title for the Chinese player.
