Wimbledon 2024 final: Got a football match you want to watch, Carlos? Novak Djokovic rocked on Centre Court as champ Alcaraz wins first two sets in rapid fashion, with Kate watching on

Wow. Advantage Djokovic. Break point Djokovic. Alcaraz scooped the ball weakly straight down his throat and he blasted it past the approaching Spaniard. Could this be a turning point?

No, it can’t. Next point, a powerful hit from Alcaarz and Djokovic sends the ball spinning into oblivion.

Alcaraz has, oddly, used two challanges in this game and lost them both. Seems a bit maverick.

And now we’re at deuce and Djokovic has the crowd on his side – though they’re always rather malleable and happy to support whoever needs it in the present moment.

To prove my point, after a stupendous lofted rally, Djokovic hits it out and it’s advantage Alcaraz – and the crowd go wild as if they had been rooting for him all along!

Djokovic must be gutted with himself. Whenever he gets a chance, a rare chink in the armour from Alcaraz, he cannot take it.

Again at the net he falls short and throws away a point to make it 30-15 to Alcaraz. He must want to rip that net apart.

A mixed start to Alcaraz’s service game as the Spaniard gifts Djokovic a point with a shot wide of the line. 15-15. A start for Djokovic.

A perfect game from Djokovic, who looks a changed man this set.

Again he holds his serve. Inroads in Alcaraz’s serve need to follow, but this is good news for him – on he marches, refusing defeat agaist some sensational play.

Djokovic goes up 30-0 in his service game after a slightly wild long hit from Alcaraz.

It’s another unblemished game from the youngster. At one point he managed to scoop the ball from inches off the turf and return the shot having dashed across court helter-skelter. This man’s energy beggars belief. A tour de force.

Jelena Djokovic, wife of the tennis star, has been put through a whirlwind of emotions this match.

Alcaraz swings the ball out of play and it’s a hold of serve for Djokovic.

Tension is released from the crowd, who are gleeful that their 10-time finalist has won that. They want to see this go all the way, or at least for as long as it can.

Djokovic reclaims deuce with a great serve. We’re on to our fifth duece of the game now. Reminiscent of the first of the match, but you feel each passing moment under strain is not good for 37-year-old Djokovic.

A boulevard of possibility opened up for Djokovic as he had the entire left half of the court to slam the ball into on his approach and take the game.

But no, the net calls again. Hello, old friend. Back to deuce.

Alcaraz is finding angles that don’t exist. He seemingly occupies a different geometry to us all.

He takes the advantage with an impossible close across court, finding the smallest angle on Djokovic’s approach.

Djokovic hits a feeble drop shot straight into the net. It wasn’t even close to clearing the net. Huge sighs from the stands.

Alcaraz is 40-30 up in the Serb’s service game.

Alcaraz allows himself the glimmer of a smile up to the box after a supreme drop shot wins him a point to give him the advantage from deuce.

And then, after a strong blow from Alcaraz, Djokovic mishits the ball and it pings horizontally off the court. A mistake. A point lost. A game lost.

Djokovic looks exasperated.

After commanding a rally, he volleys it short at a tight angle into a gaping open area on the court. A veritablly brilliant shot.

Surely Alcaraz can’t get there… surely?

Well, he can. Cue the look of depair as Djokovic throws his head back. 30-30. Unbelievable energy and speed from Alcaraz.

Huge applause from the crowd as Djokovic goes up 0-30 in Alcaraz’s serve for the first time.

It takes a stroke of fortune – at one point in the rally a weak shot just scampers over the net and hits the top.

Djokovic holds his serve, only dropping a point. A step in the right direction.

Djokovic takes the first two points of his opening service game this time, but a double fault makes it 30-15. He can’t string together many good runs in this match. Something always has to go wrong.

A crushing serve from Alcaraz, razor-sharp into the corner, disarms Djokovic.

He managed to connect with it, but it’s an awkward sound off the racquet and it’s nowhere near good enough to return.

Djokovic is persisting with the net work and it has paid off in this game so far. A slice back hand forced Alcaraz to go high and Djokovic finished the job with an authoritative shot to make it 30-30.

A touch of shakiness from Alcaraz as he opens his service game for the set with a let and then a double fault, handing Djokovic a point.

Yet he drags himself to 30-15 and hits a second serve at 108mph into the corner – a formidable first service for most!

This is going from bad to worse for Djokovic.

He ends his service game on a double fault. He desperately challenges, hoping he had kept the ball in, but is trudging to his seat, head down, as everyone claps and wonders if it was in. It wasn’t, and he knew it.

Djokovic makes another unforced error at the net, where he has won eight of 21 points. An audible gasp from the audience as he lets a point slip by and it’s break point to his opponent.

Excellent recovery from Alcaraz.

Djokovic loked to have him to go 40-0 up after switching the play with a volley, but Alcaraz impossibly chases it down and wins the point to make it 30-15 instead.

A brilliant service game from Alcaraz, whose platoon of different shots have Djokovic on the ropes and continually guessing.

From behind their shades, of course.

‘Good to see the Princess of Wales looking so well,’ writes Jane Clark in the comments.

‘Yay, Catherine is back, looking healthy, well and happy, what a great joy for her family and all the people around the world who sent her positive vibes and prayers,’ writes ‘Lady Ascot’.

Djokovic flew through that service game and didn’t drop a point.

One stunning forehand down the line proved he’s still got the power in his locker.

Significant for a player who had been running beneath 60 per cent with first serves won. That was a statement.

That game swept by in a blur and it was virtually faultless from the Spaniard.

He did drop a point, but his first serve is too strong – he’s won over 90 per cent of the points from it. He ends the game with a delicate drop shot across the court from the left to the right, taking all the pace out of the ball after a rally. Cruising.

A monumental hold from Djokovic from 0-15 down.

He held his nerve and avoided the errors to make sure he stays in the set avoids a two-break deficit. He didn’t make it easy for himself, but a tender drop shot feathered over the net and Alcaraz ran out of time to defuse the bomb. A game to Djokovic.

There are some stunned faces in the crowd at what we are viewing here. Others concerned.

The mistakes are piling up for Djokovic – who has done so well to be here – and he’s 15-30 down on his serve. The throng try to gee him up with a rally of applause and cheers.

The precision is lacking for Djokovic as he loses another game.

At the end there, he had the right idea, sending a long drive to the other side of the court from close to the net.

It would have been a great point, but it was overhit, and it hands Alcaraz the game from an advantage.

It’s the rallies where Alcaraz is really hurting Djokovic. The Serb needs a stellar return to stand a chance.

A delicate drop shot from Alcaraz sees him go 30-15 up, and then a pinpoint forehand whipped down the line leaves Djokovic stock-still.

Alcaraz opens the game with a double fault on his serve as a collective sigh emanates form the stands.

But then Djokovic gives him a free point on the second serve as he hits out another shot which appeared like a piece of cake.

Alcaraz breaks Djokovic in his first service game of the second set.

It ended on a hugely disappointing shot from Djokovic, who came in cross-court to meet an Alcaraz forehand and hit the net from point-blank range. For a player of his ilk, it looked easy. We were deceived.

Yet again Alcaraz takes the first point of the set on Djokovic’s serve.

And then the second, thanks to a long hit from Djokovic as he tried to apply pressure on the 21-year-old. A shaky start for the Serb.

It’s worth remembering this: Djokovic won the first set in the final last year by a 6-1 margin. He looked destined for victory and fell away. The same can happen to Alcaarz today. This is no foregone conclusion.

Some sublime tennis in that final game, and at one point a swooping switch of play from Djokovic, which Alcaraz was hapless to return to the net, looked to have given him a way back.

But Alcaraz held his nerve on his second set point and takes the first set.

It’s set point for Alcaraz after Djokovic hits the net with what could have been a devastating forehand, bouncing on his toes as he hit it.

A boon for the seven-time champion.

Alcaraz hits the net with a tame shot and the point goes to Djokovic on his serve, even if he has to go via deuce.

Perched on his seat, sipping his drink, Djokovic fixes his stare straight ahead. Completely locked in. A face of consternation trying to work out the next move. But he knows there’s a long way to go.

Some breathless tennis – all twisting bodies and prancing feet – ends in a backwards shot from Djokovic to go 30-0 up on his serve. Super-elegant, chic stuff, that was.

Djokovic hits it long and gives Alcaraz an advanatge. Those silly errors are piling up. And then, an ace from the Spaniard to take the game. It’s 5-1 now.

A break point for Djokovic as he goes 40-30 up in Alcaraz’s serve.

One user on X writes that Djokovic is already ‘finished’,’ which feels incredibly premature.

Anyone who watched yesterday’s women’s final between Barbora Krejcikova and Barbara Paolini will know how a match can turn on its head. Krejcikova was dominant in the first set but after a toilet break Paolini came out playing unrecognisably and took the second, taking the match to the wire. Krejcikova hung on but that was no guarantee – the first set had looked all one-way traffic.

Ouch. A double-fault from Djokovic and he’s now two breaks down. A nightmare start for the Serbian and you can see Alcaraz growing in confidence, becoming more experimental. He can afford to be, for now.

Djokovic recovers a bit of face as his shot, right on the baseline, sees Alcaraz discombobulated, and he sails a ball high beyond the court.

He then takes it to 30-30 with an ace, having been 0-30 down to start this pivotal game.

Via a combination of that drop shots, an ace, and a final unforced error from Djokovic, Alcaraz has taken his second service game to go 3-1 up.

He has looked the better of the two so far.

A gorgeous drop shot from Alcaraz, slicing the ball tenderly into the quad, leaves Djokovic flat-footed as the Spaniard takes the first point of his second service game.

The seven-time champion holds serve and wipes himself down with his towel. A moment for composure. He needed that.

Djokovic is struggling to find his feet here.

With eight approaches to the net, he’s only won two points.

Now, on his serve, it’s 30-30. He won’t want to let the game get away from him as that would be a big psychological bost to his successor.

Some comfort for Alcaraz there as he takes his first service game, only allowing one point to slip through the net.

He offered up his fastest serve of the tournament in that game. Solid start for the 21-year-old.

A powerful start to Alcaraz’s service game as he goes 30-15 up. A sweeping forehand to blast the ball from the right side of the court to the left – as Djokovic travels in the other direction – sees him take an emphatic point.

And then there’s a 136mph serve to make it 40-15.

And finally, 14 minutes after we started, Alcaraz breaks Djokovic’s serve as the Serb hits the ball wide on the approach.

That’s a statement for the 21-year-old and well-fought, but the amount of energy expended there could be significant later in the match. I imagine both players wouldn’t mind a flurry of quick games now just to establish some rhythm.

It’s a FIFTH break point for Alcaraz, as Djokovic tries a drop shot from extremely close to the net but hits the net with his volley.

Can Alcaraz finish the job and deny us an eighth duece?

Alcaraz squanders a third break point with a limp shot after a blasting serve from Djokovic. Yep, it’s our sixth deuce now. Enthralling stuff, but not the highest quality yet.

A fifth deuce as Alcaraz’s aggressive approach and backhand slices force Djokovic to try and chip him, but it loops high. No room for low-flying aircraft.

We’re into our tenth minute here.

A fantastic forehand down the line, opening his body up, gives Alcaraz an advantage. An incredible shot with such fine margins.

And then… he lets it go as he hits the ball long.

Deuce again – for the fourth time.

We’re on to our second deuce as Alcaraz hits the net with an unforced error on a break point.

His dexterity and variety of shots have been impressive but that was a missed opportunity.

A stroke of fortune for Alcaraz as his return hits the net and it just sneaks over to bounce, mercifully, into Djokovic’s side.

Djokovic isn’t looking entirely convincing on his serve – has had to retake a couple of times.

Carlos Alcaraz takes the first point on Djokovic’s serve after a seven-hit rally. You could hear a pin drop.

To thunderous applause the two tennis Jedis emerged and after the obligatory photos and toss, the graphite lightsabers are out for the warm-up.

Djokovic and Alcaraz are putting each other through their paces and sizing each other up ahead of the impending start.

A new name will be etched on the board of champions after today’s action, and look at that dominance from Djokovic.

He has won 39 out of his last 40 matches at Wimbledon, the only defeat the one to Alcaraz in last year’s final. A miniature blemish on an almost impeccable record for the last six years.

Do I detect a beam on the face of Princess Kate? I think I do. The ense of anticipation is not lost on anybody here. This is historic.

You can also spy Tom Cruise, but there’s no Mission Impossible today. This one is going to be so close to call between two players at the summit of the game.

Djokovic and Alcaraz are on their walk through the corridors towards the Centre Court turf.

Both of them insisted on the other walking first out of respect with smiles on their faces, but Alcaraz was the more determined to show his humility and allow Djokovic, a sevn-time champion here, to go first.

Over the years, Wimbledon has been feted for its insistence on putting tradition at the forefront of its clash with modernity.

Yet such a historic tournament could still fall to the clutches of artificial intelligence, spelling a gloomy future for the line judges, who are nervous for what lies ahead.

Could this be the last match we see them at? Some of them think so.

Princess Kate has been smiling at waving to fans on her way to Centre Court, kitted out in a long purple dress and accompanied by Princess Charlotte.

With prize money inflated by 10 per cent this year, almost £50million has been up for grabs for the athletes this year. The lion’s share of that will go to the winner of the finals – but how much is on the table?

Novak Djokovic hailed his ‘bromance; with tennis firebrand Nick Kyrgios and the two shared a light session together yesterday.

Good practice against the man he beat in the 2022 edition of the final in four sets.

We’ve got our first picture of Princess Kate, accompanied by Princess Charlotte.

It’s her second public appearance after her cancer diagnosis was announced in March and it’s great to see her getting about and about. She is a fixture of Wimbledon and it’s wonderful that she can attend.

The main task in Alcaraz’s in-tray today – cut out the unforced erorrs.

He’s had 189 in total this tournament, the second-most. That is perilous territory.

He also had hit the most winners, though, 277. Go hard or go home.

On paper, Djokovic has looked the more infallible this tournament.

The world number two has only dropped two sets – one apiece to Jacob Fearnley and Alexei Popyrin – on his route here. He also had a bye through to the semi-finals after Alex de Minaur pulled out of their last-eight clas injured.

Alcaraz has dropped five sets and had to come from 2-1 down against Frances Tiafoe in the third round, being pushed hard. He has had a tricky route and played longer matches. Will that show today?

Thanks to the team at Sofascore for putting together this graphic.

Djokovic leads Alcaraz 3-2 on their head-to-head record.

Yet the memory of last year’s gruelling Wimbledon final, which spanned almost five hours and was the third-longest ever at SW19, lives long. Alcaraz lost the first set 6-1 but produced a sensational comeback.

it was such a close-fought odyssey, last year’s final. Out of 334 points played, Alcaraz won 168, Djokovic 166. Razor-thin margins.

It’s three finals played and three finals won for Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old ball-hitting matador who seldom tastes defeat.

Only Roger Federer has won his first four Grand Slam finals in the Open Era (he went on to win his first seven). Winning today would put him in elite company.

Less than a month before Wimbledon, even competing here looked a miracle for Novak Djokovic.

The 37-year-old underwent surgery on June 5 after pulling out of the French Open quarter-finals, hoping against hope to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee in time for this.

Thirty-seven days later and here he is in the final against all reasonable thought. Magnificent.

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live coverage of the 2024 Wimbledon men’s singles final.

We’re set for an absolute cracker from 2pm as Novak Djokovic seeks to enact revenge on Carlos Alcaraz, who usurped him as the Wimbledon king in last year’s epic.

For the Serbian today represents a history-levelling opportunity – the chance to match Roger Federer’s men’s record of eight Wimbledon titles.

We can’t wait for the ride.