Carlos Alcaraz celebrated a generational shift in tennis after dethroning Novak Djokovic in one of the great Wimbledon finals.

The young Spaniard looked to be on his way to victory when he recovered from a nervous start to take a two-sets-to-one lead only for Djokovic to show once again his remarkable powers of resilience.

It was he who appeared in the ascendancy at the start of the fifth set but back came 20-year-old Alcaraz to claim a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory after four hours and 42 minutes, finally landing a meaningful blow for the young guns against the man 16 years his senior.

Alcaraz was not even born when Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 became the last man apart from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Djokovic to win the title here, and he is the youngest men’s champion since Boris Becker in 1986.

Alcaraz won his maiden slam title at the US Open last summer but, having beaten Casper Ruud on that occasion with Djokovic barred from entering the country, there is no question this is a far bigger, and potentially seismic, moment in the men’s game.

“I did it for myself, not for the tennis generation,” said Alcaraz. “(But) beating Novak at his best, in this stage, making history, being the guy to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, is amazing for me.

“It’s something that I will never forget. It’s great for the new generation, as well, I think, to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable to do it as well.

“It’s the happiest moment of my life. I think it’s not going to change for a long time. Beating Novak, winning the Wimbledon championship, is something that I dream about since I started playing tennis.”

The defeat prevented Djokovic tying Federer with an eighth Wimbledon title, while it also ended his chances of winning the calendar Grand Slam this year and possibly forever, although he will surely have more opportunities to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 slam crowns.

This was the hottest ticket in town. Along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte and King Felipe VI of Spain, Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig were attendance while, among the tennis ranks, sat in the stands with new men’s doubles champion Neal Skupski, was Murray.

The Scot was the last man to beat Djokovic on this court, 10 years and 46 matches ago, in that unforgettable final.

The excitement that fizzed around the arena threatened to evaporate as Djokovic pounced on Alcaraz, winning the first five games then the opening set in only 34 minutes.

Djokovic had two main regrets after the match, the biggest one being that he was not able to extend his record of consecutive slam tie-breaks won to 16.

He led 3-0 and had a set point at 6-5 only to net two routine backhands and then see an Alcaraz return fly past him.

In their first slam meeting in the semi-finals of the French Open last month, Alcaraz had been stricken by cramp after a similar first two sets, but here he looked far the better physically as he swept to the third set, breaking Djokovic for a second time in a 26-minute game comprising 13 deuces and seven break points.

But Djokovic is the master at rousing himself when he appears down and out and so it proved again.

The four-time defending champion had the momentum going into the decider but netted a high volley on break point at 1-0 and then hurled his racket against the net post in anger, smashing the frame, after Alcaraz broke in the next game.

Djokovic did all he could to apply pressure as the young Spaniard, who has extended his lead as world number one, stepped up to serve it out but Alcaraz showed what a truly special talent he is by pulling off a precision lob and a reflex volley before slumping to the grass when his opponent finally netted.

“Probably before this match I thought that I wasn’t ready to beat Djokovic in five sets, an epic match like this,” said Alcaraz. “I stayed good physically and good mentally about five hours against a legend.”

On learning from what happened in Paris, he added: “I am a totally different player than French Open. I grew up a lot since that moment. I learned a lot from that moment.”

Djokovic handled the defeat with impressive grace but broke down in tears when he saw his eight-year-old son Stefan applauding from the stands.

He admitted Alcaraz’s remarkably quick progression on grass had taken him by surprise and thought back to the close finals where he has come out on the other side.

“I’ve won some epic finals that I was very close to losing,” he said. “Maybe this is kind of a fair-and-square deal, I guess, to lose a match like this for me here. Even though it hurts.

“Credit to Carlos. Amazing poise in the important moments. For someone of his age to handle the nerves like this, be playing attacking tennis, and to close out the match the way he did. I thought I returned very well that last game, but he was just coming up with some amazing, amazing shots.

“Some regrets. I had my chances. I think I could have closed out that second-set tie-breaker better. But credit to him for fighting and showing some incredible defensive skills, passing shots that got him the break in the fifth. He was a deserved winner today.”

Alcaraz has a long way to go if he is to have anything like the careers that Djokovic and his long-time rivals Federer and Nadal have put together.

But the Serbian could not be more impressed with the 20-year-old as an all-round package, saying: “I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa and myself.

“I would agree with that. I think he’s got basically the best of all three worlds. He’s got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defence.

“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”

Alcaraz, still wearing his lucky bucket hat, burst into a wide grin when told what Djokovic had said.

“It’s crazy that Novak said that, honestly,” he said. “I don’t know. Probably he’s right. But I don’t want to think about it. I’m going to think that I’m full Carlos Alcaraz.”

Carlos Alcaraz was the toast of world sport after his stunning victory over Novak Djokovic handed him the Wimbledon men’s singles title for the first time at the age of just 20.

The Spaniard triumphed in a five-set epic to deny the Serbian a 24th grand slam title after a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 arm wrestle on Centre Court.

His heroics prompted praise from the tennis glitterati and beyond as they took to social media after a thriller at SW19.

Compatriot Rafael Nadal, who has 22 grand slam titles to his name, tweeted: “Congratulations @carlosalcaraz. You have given us immense joy today and I am sure that our pioneer in Spanish tennis, Manolo Santana, has also been cheering wherever he is, such as Wimbledon whom you have joined today.

“A very strong hug and enjoy the moment, champion!!!”

Last year’s beaten finalist Nick Kyrgios, who was a late withdrawal this year because of injury, added: “Haven’t watched a whole tennis match in a long time haha. Thank you @DjokerNole and @carlosalcaraz for putting on that incredible performance. Congratulations to you both.”

There was praise two from the organisers of the other three slam tournaments.

A series of posts on the US Open’s official Twitter account said: “What a match”, “That match was everything we hoped for” and “Can this rivalry continue on for a few more years, please?”, while Roland-Garros described the victory as “Prince of Wimbledon” and the Australian Open said simply, “Unstoppable”.

Alcaraz was presented with the trophy by the Princess of Wales, who watched from the Royal Box with Prince William and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte as well as Spain’s King Felipe VI, and a message on their Twitter acount said: “What a match! Congratulations @carlosalcaraz.”

There were celebrations at Spain’s UK Embassy as officials also took to Twitter, saying: “Unbelievable, amazing, superb, fantastic… What a match, what a champion. Carlos Alcaraz wins his first #Wimbledon title, but certainly not the last.”

The young Spaniard’s triumph also impressed current and former athletes outside his sport with Spain’s former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea leading the tributes.

De Gea wrote: “Absolutely crazy @carlosalcaraz”, while Roma frontman Paulo Dybala said: “What a game we just saw @carlosalcaraz @DjokerNole! Congrats to both for the great final @Wimbledon!”

There was also a message from Real Madrid, the club the Murcia-born star supports.

It said: “Congratulations on your brilliant victory at @Wimbledon, @carlosalcaraz. And congratulations on maintaining top spot in the world tennis rankings. You are a source of pride for Spanish sport and all of the madridistas.”

Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker put his Spanish to good use, with his tweet translating as: “Spectacular! What a game! What a player. What a champion. Congratulations to @carlosalcaraz. Magnificent.”

Retired cricketing superstar Sachin Tendulkar was equally effusive in his praise.

Tendulkar said: “What a fantastic final to watch! Excellent tennis by both these athletes! We’re witnessing the rise of the next superstar of tennis. I’ll be following Carlos’ career for the next 10-12 years just like I did with @Rogerfederer.

“Many congratulations @carlosalcaraz!”

There was recognition for Hollywood royalty too in the shape of Ben Stiller, who tweeted: “Congrats to @carlosalcaraz. What an incredible final.”

Carlos Alcaraz dethroned Novak Djokovic on Centre Court as the curtain closed on Wimbledon with a men’s final for the ages.

There was more British joy as Henry Searle won the boys’ singles crown but there was disappointment for Alfie Hewett as he again missed out on the wheelchair singles crown.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 14 of the Championships.

Alcaraz ends Djokovic reign

Carlos Alcaraz will go down in history as the man who finally beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.

The Serbian had not lost since 2017 and his invincibility stretched back even further on Centre Court, with Andy Murray the last man to inflict defeat on him there way back in 2013.

But Alcaraz proved he is the real deal and ended Djokovic’s reign in a men’s singles final that will go down as one of the greatest.

There were twists and turns, drama, frustration and most of all some epic tennis in a near five-hour battle that Alcaraz won 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4.

He claimed his first SW19 crown and second grand slam title overall and it will be fascinating to see how much of a seminal moment this victory is.

Tweet of the dayQuote of the dayPicture of the dayHewett’s heartache

Alfie Hewett’s wait for grand slam perfection goes on after he lost the wheelchair singles final.

The Briton has won at the Australian Open, the French Open and US Open but his home slam at Wimbledon continues to evade him after a second successive final loss.

Number one seed Tokito Oda, who is just 17, denied him glory on Court One with a 6-4 6-2 victory as he won back-to-back grand slams following his recent success at the French Open.

Hewett was visibly devastated at the end and Oda could be an obstacle for some time, having become the youngest champion at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis.

Searle ends British drought

Henry Searle became the first British boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon since 1962.

The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton beat fifth seed Yaroslav Demin 6-4 6-4 on Court One to emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed 61 years ago.

He is Britain’s first junior champion since Laura Robson won the girls’ event in 2008 and ensured more home success at this year’s tournament after Neal Skupski won the men’s doubles on Saturday.

It will be a life-changing experience for Searle but he looks like he has the temperament and the ability to succeed in the men’s game after a brilliant campaign where he did not drop a set, highlighted by him sending down a 134mph serve during the final.

Stat of the day

Carlos Alcaraz was crowned the new king of Wimbledon after dethroning Novak Djokovic on a rapt Centre Court in one of the great grand slam finals.

The young Spaniard looked to be on his way to victory when he recovered from a nervous start to take a two-sets-to-one lead only for Djokovic to show once again his remarkable powers of resilience.

It was he who appeared in the ascendancy at the start of the fifth set but back came 20-year-old Alcaraz to claim a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory after four hours and 42 minutes, finally landing a meaningful blow for the young guns against the man 16 years his senior.

Alcaraz slumped to the court after Djokovic’s final forehand dropped into the net before sharing a long embrace with the vanquished Serbian.

Novak Djokovic is going for his eighth Wimbledon title and Carlos Alcaraz his first in a final billed as the ultimate generation game.

Djokovic, 36, is bidding to become the oldest man to take the SW19 crown while 20-year-old Alcaraz is the youngest finalist since fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal in 2006.

The winner will also claim the world number one spot.

Elsewhere, there is British interest in the juniors competition, with Henry Searle reaching the final of the boys’ singles, while Alfie Hewett looks to finally win an elusive wheelchair singles title in SW19.

Here, the PA news agency looks ahead to the final day of the Championships.

Will it be Novak the gr-eight?

Djokovic is making history with virtually every victory and a 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) win over Jannik Sinner in his record-equalling 46th grand slam semi-final earned him a record-breaking 35th final, taking him past American great Chris Evert.

The Serbian is now only one victory away from matching Roger Federer by winning an eighth Wimbledon title, and Federer and Bjorn Borg by claiming five in a row.

He would also move level with Margaret Court with a record 24th grand slam crown.

It is 10 years since Djokovic lost a match on Centre Court, an extraordinary run of 45 matches going back to the 2013 final against Andy Murray.

Or king Carlos the first?

Standing in Djokovic’s way is swashbuckling Spaniard Alcaraz in what will, incredibly, be only the 18th match of his career on grass.

The world number one proved he has got the hang of the surface by winning at Queen’s Club last month and he dismantled third seed Daniil Medvedev in three sets in their semi-final.

Alcaraz already has a grand slam title to his name having won last year’s US Open, and he reached the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

There he was beaten by Djokovic, but only after cramping up following two evenly-contested sets.

Next stop, Searle’s court

Wolverhampton’s Searle is one match away from becoming Britain’s first boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon for 61 years.

The 17-year-old defeated American fourth seed Cooper Williams 7-6 (4) 6-3 in the semi-finals on Saturday.

Backed by his noisy fan club consisting of family members and friends from his tennis club, Searle is on the brink of emulating Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed in 1962.

Jack Draper was the last British player to make the final five years ago, while Liam Broady also reached it in 2011, but both were beaten.

Searle will face 17-year-old Yaroslav Demin of Russia in the final.

There is also British interest in the junior doubles after Hannah Klugman and Isabelle Lacy reached the final, while Alfie Hewett goes for his maiden wheelchair singles title against world number one Tokito Oda of Japan.

Order of play

Centre Court (from 2pm)
Carlos Alcaraz v Novak Djokovic
Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens v Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova

Court One (from 11am)
Alfie Hewett v Tokito Oda
Henry Searle v Yaroslav Demin
Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan v James Blake/Lleyton Hewitt

Weather

Sunny changing to cloudy by late morning.

Carlos Alcaraz says the blockbuster Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic is going to be the “best moment of my life”.

The world number one is gunning for his first title in SW19 but is coming up against the toughest test of all in Djokovic, who has eyes on a record-equalling eighth success on Centre Court.

A 16-year age gap between the two players makes Sunday the ultimate generation game as Alcaraz looks to dethrone 36-year-old Djokovic.

And the Spaniard, who disposed of third seed Daniil Medvedev, is going to cherish the moment.

“It is probably going to be the best moment of my life – probably,” he said. “Playing a final here in Wimbledon is something that I dream about when I start playing tennis. As I said before, it’s even better playing against Novak.

“It’s going to be a really emotional moment for me. But I’ll try to stay calm in that moment. For Novak it is one more day, one more moment. For me, it’s going to be the best moment of my life I think.”

It is a rematch of the recent French Open semi-final where Alcaraz played brilliantly to level at one set all before cramp ruined his chances and Djokovic raced to a four-set win on his way to a record 23rd grand slam title.

Alcaraz, chasing his second after winning last year’s US Open, has vowed to do things differently in his preparation.

“I will try to get into the court with not as much nerves as I probably had in French Open, in the semi-final,” he said. “I will try to pull out all the nerves, try to enjoy that moment because probably in the semi-final at the French Open I didn’t enjoy at all in the first set.

“I’ll do something different. I’ll prepare the match a little bit different from the French Open. It’s going to be different for me. I hope not to get cramp during the final.

“I think I’ll be better on Sunday.”

Playing in the final is not a new thing for Djokovic as he aims to join Roger Federer on eight titles and notch a fifth in a row.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wimbledon (@wimbledon)

“It’s an ultimate showdown,” said Djokovic, who has not lost on Centre Court since 2013. “Everything comes down to one match.

“All eyes of the tennis and sports world will be directed on this Sunday’s Wimbledon’s final. It’s probably the most watched tennis match globally. I look forward to it.

“I obviously have more experience than most of these guys that I faced here, and that I will face on Sunday, as well.

“Experience could help a little bit I think maybe in some important moments, beginning the match, managing the nerves, managing the occasion, circumstances. Yeah, that’s where experience could play a role.

“But it’s not going to be the deciding factor really. So whoever on a given day is in a better state, I mean, mentally and physically, will be the winner.”

Novak Djokovic is looking forward to a “feast” of a Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz after overcoming spats with the umpire and the crowd in a straight-sets victory over Jannik Sinner.

The end of the fortnight will see the contest that was widely predicted at the start, with the world’s two best players fighting it out for the trophy.

Djokovic is making history with virtually every victory and a 6-3 6-4 7-6 (4) win against Sinner in his record-equalling 46th grand slam semi-final earned him a record-breaking 35th final, taking him past American great Chris Evert.

Alcaraz, who blitzed third seed Daniil Medvedev, is the only man who can now prevent Djokovic matching Roger Federer by winning an eighth Wimbledon title and Margaret Court with a 24th grand slam crown.

A month ago at the French Open, Djokovic and Alcaraz clashed in a semi-final that hit the heights for two split sets before the young Spaniard was struck down by cramp.

“Judging by the performances that we have seen from all the players, I think this is probably the best final that we could have,” said Djokovic. “We are both in good form. We’re both playing well.

“I want to take this title without a doubt. I look forward to it. It’s going to be a great challenge, the greatest challenge that I could have at the moment from any angle really: physical, mental, emotional.

“He’s one of the quickest guys on the tour. He can do pretty much anything on the court. I consider myself also a very complete player.

“We had a very good match until he started struggling physically in Paris. I think we really took the level of tennis very high. I think it was great for the audience and great for us players to be part of that.

“Obviously completely different conditions here. I do have more experience playing in many more grand slam or Wimbledon finals than him. Still, he’s in great shape. He’s very motivated. He’s young. He’s hungry. I’m hungry, too, so let’s have a feast.”

While on paper it appeared a comfortable win for Djokovic against Sinner, there were moments of real tension, particularly when he saved two set points at 4-5 in the third set and before that in the fourth game of the second, when he was penalised for a hindrance by British umpire Richard Haigh.

At 15-15, Djokovic suddenly let out a loud and late grunt after hitting a backhand down the line that he probably expected to be a winner only for Sinner to reach it.

It is unusual for a grunt to elicit a hindrance ruling and Djokovic reacted with disbelief, saying to Haigh: “You must be joking. Calling that in the semi-final of Wimbledon? What are you doing?”

To compound the situation, Haigh then gave Djokovic a time violation in the same game for taking too long on his serve.

“I have to accept the decision from a chair umpire,” said the 36-year-old later. “I’ve never had a hindrance call for an extended grunt. I saw the replay. I saw that my grunt finished before he hit the shot. So I thought that chair umpire’s call was not correct.

“I was just trying to hold my things mentally together and not really get upset, even though I was really upset because I didn’t think it was the right call.”

The crowd were willing Sinner to make a contest of it and sensed the moment had come when the 21-year-old Italian created two set points in the third.

Djokovic clapped sarcastically and gave a thumbs up when noise delayed his second serve, with a man shouting ‘Vamos Rafa’, and was then booed for taunting the crowd when Sinner missed both chances.

When Djokovic held serve, he turned to the fans closest to him and mimed crying.

It is far from the first time the second seed has expressed annoyance with crowds cheering against him but, asked about it in his press conference, he said only with a smile: “It’s all love. All love and acceptance.”

Sinner and Djokovic had met in the quarter-finals here last year, when the Italian opened up a two-set lead only for his opponent to win in five.

Sinner certainly had his chances in this one but was unable to take any of the six break points he created, while 20 unforced errors on his powerful forehand, often at important moments, rather told the story.

Djokovic took his only chance in the first set and it was not until Sinner fought back from 0-40 to hold serve in the third game of the third set that he was really able to apply any consistent pressure.

He made errors on both of his set points, though, and then squandered a 3-1 lead in the tie-break with a double fault and more mistakes – Djokovic’s winning tie-break streak at grand slams now stands at 15.

Sinner was left to rue his missed chances, saying: “Regardless of the score, I felt like I was more close this year than last year.

“I’m trying to play in these situations more often. I felt like I was ready. I went with the right mentality on the court. I had a belief to win this match. I felt like my level was good. It was just, especially in the pressure points, I messed it up a little bit.”

Novak Djokovic’s 33-match unbeaten run at Wimbledon will be tested against Italian eighth seed Jannik Sinner on men’s semi-final day in SW19.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz comes up against Russia’s third seed Daniil Medvedev in the other last-four clash on Centre Court.

Henry Searle carries the British flag in the juniors with a semi-final appearance and Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are in wheelchair action.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 12 of the Championships.

Djokovic closes in on Federer record

It was 2017 when Novak Djokovic last lost at Wimbledon and even then it was because he retired injured in a quarter-final against Tomas Berdych.

Since then it has been total domination and he is just two wins away from a fifth successive title and eighth overall.

Standing in his path of a ninth final is 21-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner, who is Wimbledon’s poster boy for the future having featured prominently in an official pre-tournament picture.

He was two sets up against Djokovic in last year’s quarter-final before the Serbian hit back and it is going to be a huge challenge for him to even repeat winning two sets never mind stopping a 33-match unbeaten run.

Russian roulette for finals weekend

Following Aryna Sabalenka’s semi-final defeat to Ons Jabeur on Thursday, men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev is the last remaining Russian or Belarusian in the tournament.

That still leaves the possibility of an awkward presentation for the Princess of Wales on Sunday as tensions over the optics surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continue to simmer.

For that to happen, though, Medvedev has to beat 20-year-old world number one Carlos Alcaraz, who has shown over the last fortnight that he is the likely heir to Djokovic’s throne.

The Spaniard has looked assured on grass and his versatility and athleticism means he is probably the most likely to stop Djokovic should he get past the Russian.

Searle carrying British flag/h2>

Henry Searle is making a name for himself in the boys’ singles as he is through to the semi-final and is the only home player left in the tournament.

Searle, who took out the top seed earlier in the first round, dispatched eighth seed Joao Fonseca in the quarter-finals and now comes up against American Cooper Williams.

The last-four meeting gets a Court 12 showing as he becomes the first British boy to make the last four since Jack Draper in 2018.

Order of play

Centre Court
Jannik Sinner v Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz v Daniil Medvedev

Court One
Caroline Dolehide/Shuai Zhang v Storm Hunter/Elise Mertens
Hsieh Su-wei/Barbora Strycova v Marie Bouzkova/Sara Sorribes Tormo

Weather

Strong winds with risk of rain.

Novak Djokovic hopes to show Wimbledon’s poster boy for the future Jannik Sinner that he is not ready to give up his Centre Court crown just yet.

The 36-year-old is gunning for a fifth straight title in SW19, which would move him level with record-holder Roger Federer on eight, but must first get past Sinner in Friday’s semi-final.

The Italian, 21, featured prominently in an official pre-tournament poster alongside Carlos Alcaraz as the future of the Championships. His presence on illustrator Grant Gruenhaupt’s artwork raised eyebrows but he is living up to the hype after reaching his first grand slam semi-final.

Djokovic rates Sinner as a future star, but the Serbian is motivated to reach yet another final.

“He’s playing on a very high level. He likes to play on grass,” Djokovic said.

“He likes to play on quick surfaces because he likes to be aggressive and take control of the point. From both forehand and backhand, he’s smashing the ball really, really hard, trying to be the one that is going to dictate the point from early on. I know his game well.

“He’s so young, so of course it’s expected that he’s going to improve. He is improving, no doubt, I think with the serve. He’s been serving better. On grass, obviously makes a difference.

“He’s a very complete player. Now first time in semis of Wimbledon. I’m looking forward to that challenge. I’m sure that he’s going to be very, very motivated to win. On the other hand, I am, too.”

Sinner will have bad memories of playing Djokovic at Wimbledon after losing in last year’s quarter-final, having gone two sets up.

Asked what he took from that experience, he replied smiling: “First of all, you have to go up two sets to love.

“In the other way, it’s going to be a completely different match than last year. He knows me better as I know him better also. It’s going to be also a little bit tactical.

“In the other way, it is also a little bit mental, no? If you play against Novak, it’s always tough to play here, especially on grand slams.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wimbledon (@wimbledon)

“It’s for sure one of the toughest, if not the toughest, challenge in front of me. He has won 23 grand slams. Won Australia, won Paris. He is in a huge confidence boost also.

“It’s going to be tough, but I will obviously try my best. Last year I played a very good match against him. I have learned about it.”

Daniil Medvedev could provide Russian presence on finals weekend if he gets past world number one Alcaraz.

Medvedev was banned from playing in last year’s tournament, but has returned in style, flying under the radar to his first Wimbledon semi-final.

Despite the situation with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Medvedev says he has felt the support from the crowd.

“It’s been amazing,” he said. “It’s been amazing. Let’s see how it is on Centre Court because so far I have been playing only on Court One. I think it’s going to be the same. It’s going to be amazing to play Carlos next.

Alcaraz will provide his toughest test yet as the Spaniard is playing well enough to suggest that Centre Court could become a very happy hunting ground in the future.

On reaching the last four, Alcaraz said: “It’s a dream for me. It’s a dream for me to be able to play semi-final here in Wimbledon.

“I’m going to say, Medvedev’s an octopus. He catches every ball. It is amazing. He’s an amazing athlete.”

Carlos Alcaraz walked out of Centre Court and into a spying controversy after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals for the first time.

The world number one beat fellow 20-year-old Holger Rune in straight sets to reach the last four.

He then had to respond to reports his father Carlos, a regular member of his entourage, recorded Novak Djokovic – who he is seeded to meet in the final – while the seven-time champion was training at Wimbledon’s Aorangi Park.

“Oh, probably it is true. My father is a huge fan of tennis. He doesn’t only watch my matches,” said Alcaraz.

“I think he gets into the club at 11am, gets out at 10pm, watching matches, watching practice from everyone.

“Being able to watch Djokovic in real life, yeah, probably it is true he’s filmed the sessions.”

Pressed on whether having the video footage would give him a competitive advantage, Alcaraz said: “I don’t think so.

“I mean, I have a lot of videos from Djokovic on every platform. I think it’s not an advantage for me.”

Alcaraz did not need any inside information to beat Rune 7-6 (3) 6-4 6-4.

The Spaniard and sixth seed Rune grew up playing against each other and teamed up for a doubles tournament when they were 14.

On Wednesday they became the first men under 21 to face each other in a Wimbledon quarter-final in the open era.

Just six days separate the pair – Rune being the older – and as they headed into a first-set tie-break there was virtually nothing to choose between them either.

Alcaraz had hit 12 winners to Rune’s 13, both had made 12 unforced errors and both had won a total of 38 points.

Both had also double-faulted once, but Rune picked the wrong time to add to that particular tally to hand Alcaraz the advantage in the tie-break, which he went on to win with a stunning backhand return.

They exchanged further blows until 4-4 in the second set when Rune netted a simple overhead, and Alcaraz punished a second serve with another pin-point return to secure the first break of the match.

With England captain Ben Stokes watching in the crowd, it was Rune’s title hopes that were turning to ashes.

The weary Dane was given a warning for a time violation and was promptly broken for 3-2 in the third.

Rune saved a match point on his own serve but could not get near Alcaraz’s as the top seed wrapped up victory in two hours and 20 minutes.

Alcaraz, still a relative grass-court rookie despite his win at Queen’s Club a fortnight ago, said: “Honestly it’s amazing for me, a dream since I started playing tennis, making good results at Wimbledon, such a beautiful tournament.

Alcaraz will play Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, who beat him in the second round two years ago when he really was a novice on grass, in the semi-final.

“We played two times, once here at Wimbledon,” added Alcaraz. “It’s going to be a tough one.

“But right now I’m going to enjoy this moment. You don’t play a semi-final every year.”

Rune looked frazzled in the final two sets and he revealed he did not feel 100 per cent.

“This morning I didn’t feel very good when I woke up. But, again, it’s normal. You don’t feel good every time you wake up,” he said.

“But, yeah, I had to do everything I could to feel better for the match, but I didn’t have the same energy as I normally have when I play.”

Novak Djokovic had a message to the pretenders to his grand slam crown after beating Andrey Rublev to reach another Wimbledon semi-final – “It ain’t happening.”

The Serbian’s 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 victory on Centre Court sent him through to the last four at a major for the 46th time, equalling Roger Federer’s all time men’s record, and extended his winning run at Wimbledon to 33 matches.

Djokovic is now only two wins away from a 24th grand slam title and, although this performance was not quite perfect, it was another demonstration of what it will take to stop the 36-year-old lifting the trophy for an eighth time.

Asked how it felt to be the man always with a target on his back, Djokovic said: “I love it. Any tennis player wants to be in the position where everyone wants to win against you.

“Pressure is a privilege, as Billie Jean (King) said. It’s never going to go away. It awakens the most beautiful emotions in me and it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of and inspires me to play my best tennis.

“I know they want to get a scalp, they want to win, but it ain’t happening.”

Rublev played a terrific match yet landed only a glancing blow on Djokovic, with the Russian now the first man in the open era to have lost his first eight slam quarter-finals.

He is one of the hardest hitters in the game, particularly off his forehand, while his intensity has made him a favourite of Djokovic’s five-year-old daughter Tara.

Rublev lost in straight sets to Djokovic at the same stage of the Australian Open and he knew the importance of hanging with the defending champion, which he did by saving three break points in the sixth game.

The pair were fighting fire with fire and Djokovic thrust his arm into the air after winning one particularly fierce exchange.

He dropped his level at the end of the opening set, though, and Rublev capitalised, clinching a break point to lead 5-4 and then serving it out.

It was the second set Djokovic had dropped in successive rounds after a wobble against Hubert Hurkacz but he responded in impressive fashion, racing into a 5-0 lead in the second set.

If Rublev struggles to get to sleep, it may well be because of the third set, where he certainly had his chances but could not take them.

Two break points came and went in the second game before Djokovic turned the dial to relentless in the fifth game and got the break.

Rublev did well to stay in it, saving more break points at 2-4, and it so nearly paid off with Djokovic serving at 5-4. Missing two set points seemed to set the second seed on edge and the game turned into a Wimbledon classic.

Djokovic saved one break point with a rare serve and volley only for Rublev to set up another in a brilliant net exchange.

Djokovic was wavering on second serve in particular but Rublev could not take advantage and, after saving three break points in total, he finally converted his fifth set point.

The Serbian gave a long look to his support camp before giving an extended clench of the fist towards the crowd, who had been strongly supporting his opponent – even against a Russian, Djokovic was still second favourite.

Playing here made Djokovic just the third player after Federer and Serena Williams to contest 400 slam singles matches, and he has won a remarkable 353 of them.

While Rublev continued to battle in the fourth set, another break of serve in the third game gave Djokovic the advantage and he pulled away to set up a semi-final clash with Jannik Sinner.

Rublev was left with mixed feelings, saying: “I think (it’s) my first quarter-final that I feel proud of myself. Then, of course, you wanted to win. I was doing everything to try to win this match.”

The 25-year-old was the first Russian player to make a statement against the invasion of Ukraine, writing ‘No war please’ on the camera lens after a match in Dubai last February.

He was hugely appreciative of the backing he received on his return to Wimbledon, saying: “I felt really great support during all these two weeks. To be from the country where I am, to have this support, it’s special.

“I feel sometimes I don’t deserve it or something like that. I’m really grateful for this.

“It’s not (feeling) guilty. It’s more just the situation is terrible. Of course, you don’t wish this to anyone.

“You want these terrible things to be able to finish as fast as possible for all the people in the world just to have a chance to have a good life.”

Novak Djokovic battled back to remain on course for a fifth successive Wimbledon men’s title on the day women’s world number one Iga Swiatek suffered a quarter-final exit.

Defending champion Djokovic swatted aside Andrey Rublev to set up a semi-final clash with Jannik Sinner, while Swiatek’s hopes were ended by the impressive Elina Svitolina.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how day nine at the All England Club unfolded.

No stopping Novak

Novak Djokovic equalled Roger Federer’s record for the most men’s grand slam singles semi-final appearances by coming from a set down to defeat Andrey Rublev.

The Serbian’s 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-3 victory sent him through to the last four at a major for the 46th time and extended his winning run at Wimbledon to 33 matches.

Djokovic is now only two wins away from yet another grand slam title and, although his performance was not quite perfect, it was another demonstration of what it will take to stop the 36-year-old lifting the trophy for an eighth time.

Jannik Sinner will be the next man to try and do that after he booked the first grand slam semi-final of his career by beating Roman Safiullin 6-4 3-6 6-2 6-2.

Tweet of the daySvitolina sinks Swiatek

Elina Svitolina claimed the mother of all victories by knocking out top seed Iga Swiatek.

The unseeded Ukrainian, who only gave birth to her daughter Skai nine months ago, ousted Swiatek with a dramatic 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory on Centre Court.

She has now beaten four grand slam singles champions – Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and now Swiatek – to become the first wildcard into the last four of the women’s draw in SW19 since 2011.

it sets up a semi-final meeting with 2019 French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova, who earlier upset world number four Jessica Pegula.

Shot of the dayQuote of the dayPicture of the dayStat of the day

Novak Djokovic belatedly reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals after polishing off Hubert Hurkacz.

The seven-time champion’s plans for a day off were scuppered by the strict 11pm curfew in SW19, meaning the match was halted on Sunday evening with Djokovic two sets to the good.

Upon returning to Centre Court, Djokovic was inconvenienced further when Polish 17th seed Hurkacz stole the third set.

But the 36-year-old hit back to register a 7-6 (6) 7-6 (6) 5-7 6-4 victory and book a 14th quarter-final at the Championships.

He said: “Big credit for Hubert for playing an amazing match, tough luck for him. he put up a great performance.

“Honestly, I don’t recall the last time I felt this miserable on returning games, due to his incredibly accurate and powerful serve.

“He’s got one of the best serves in the world and it’s so difficult to read it. Playing on the quickest surface it really favours the big servers so it was not really an enjoyable match for me.

“But I guess in the important moments last night I was fortunate to win the first set. This match could definitely have gone a different way but I held my nerve and I’m happy to win.”

Djokovic had not faced so much as a break point in his previous 53 service games, so a third tie-break seemed inevitable until Hurkacz forced two at 6-5 and the Serbian dumped the second into the net.

Hurkacz fended off two break points – the first he had faced since the second set, some 17 hours ago – at 3-3 in the fourth but when he slipped on the baseline at deuce, Djokovic converted the third.

It was the first time Hurkacz had dropped serve at these Championships and it proved enough to see the 23-time grand slam champion through to a meeting with Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev in the last eight.

“He’s a different player to Hurkacz, for sure,” added Djokovic. “He’s got very powerful, quick groundstrokes, stays close to the line and has one of the best forehands in the game, loves to dictate… I’m not going to talk too much about tactics.

“I have to be ready. The matches are only going to get harder. It’s tough to say it’s going to get harder than what I experienced yesterday and today, but I have to be ready for that.

“Rublev has been a top-10 player for many years and he’s looking for his first semi-finals at a grand slam. Hopefully it’s not gonna happen.”

Andy Murray has "done it all" and should be acclaimed in the same vein as greats Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, according to Mark Philippoussis.

Friday marked the 10-year anniversary of Murray capturing the first of his two Wimbledon titles, with the Scot beating Djokovic in straight sets to win the 2013 final.

Murray's return of three major titles fails to compare to those of the 'Big Three', with Djokovic, Nadal and Federer boasting 23, 22 and 20 grand slam singles triumphs respectively.

However, Murray can also count two Olympic gold medals – won in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro – among his achievements. 

While Nadal won gold in the singles tournament at the 2008 Games, the now-retired Federer only captured gold in the doubles event, alongside Stan Wawrinka in 2008.

Djokovic, meanwhile, took singles bronze in Beijing but is yet to win gold, and Philippoussis feels Murray's record across various tournaments means he should be considered among the greats.

Asked about Murray's accomplishments, two-time grand slam finalist Philippoussis told Stats Perform: "If you look at the numbers, as far as what he's won, he's actually one of the only guys to win everything. 

"He's won [a] grand slam, he's won the Davis Cup, he's won an Olympic gold. 

"He's done it all, and when you talk about the greats like Djokovic, Federer and Rafa, they haven't all won every single thing. 

"I think Roger has won the Davis Cup and he's won gold, but I think he won it in doubles, not singles, if I'm not mistaken. 

"He [Murray] is one of the only ones who have done that, and to win your home slam as a Brit at Wimbledon – the biggest one – the pressure must have been incredible, then to have done it at home with the Olympic gold as well."

Murray was unable to mark the anniversary of his maiden Wimbledon triumph with a win, as he slipped to a 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 defeat to fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in a delayed second-round contest on Centre Court.

Andy Murray’s main memories of the biggest moment of his life are of tension and fatigue.

“I remember it being unbelievably stressful and then at the end of it huge relief,” he says of the victory over Novak Djokovic that ended Great Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon.

The year before had ended with Murray choked by tears on Centre Court following defeat by Roger Federer in his first final.

Twelve months later and with a long-awaited first slam title under his belt in New York, Murray faced another of his major foes with history at his fingertips.

Friday marks the 10-year anniversary of that day and the feelings remain seared in Murray’s mind.

“I was unbelievably nervous before the final and I also remember feeling like my team were really nervous,” he tells the PA news agency.

“They were struggling to hide it. My physical trainer, when we were doing the pre-match warm-up, he was fumbling all of the balls during the reaction drills.”

Even ‘Old Stone Face’ Ivan Lendl, the coach who had helped turn Murray into a slam champion, was not immune to the tension.

“Ivan doesn’t usually talk loads but before the final he was chatting a lot and I just felt my team were feeling it as well,” adds Murray.

“After the match I was exhausted. Twenty or 30 minutes after we got off the court, I was sitting with my wife and I was wanting to sleep. That is not usually how you feel after a match, normally the adrenaline makes it hard to sleep but I was completely spent after the match.”

The history books show Murray won in straight sets, 6-4 7-5 6-4, yet even when he served for the match in a tortuous game that somehow encapsulated all his struggles, it still felt on a knife edge.

Three match points came and went, then there were three break point chances for Djokovic as the tension around Centre Court ramped up and up. Murray stood firm, saving each one confidently, before a fourth chance came the Scot’s way, and this time his opponent netted.

The reaction from Murray was of sheer wide-eyed joy mixed with disbelief before the enormity of it all caught up with him.

For his opponent, the memories are of course very different, although Djokovic could find happiness amid his disappointment for the rival just a week older than him against whom he had been competing since childhood.

“It was not a great result for me obviously in the end, painful to lose a grand slam final, especially the Wimbledon final,” says Djokovic, who has lost only twice at SW19 in the decade since.

“But I was happy for Andy because he deserved it. He was working so hard to get his hands on the Wimbledon title.

“I had to congratulate him because he was a better player that day and it was kind of a perfect scenario for Great Britain and for him as a British player to win at Wimbledon on Centre Court.”

Among the crowd living every twist and turn was an 11-year-old Jack Draper, who eight years later made his own Centre Court debut.

“Watching Andy win Wimbledon on Centre Court in 2013 was an experience that I will never forget,” says the British number four.

“I was only 11 at the time but, looking back, it was definitely a moment that made me more motivated than ever to become a professional tennis player – and compete on the biggest stages against the world’s best players.

“I was very lucky to have Andy as a role model and hope that in the future I can do the same for young players.”

The experience was not at all the same for Murray’s brother Jamie, who was notably absent among the family and friends supporting the Scot courtside.

“I watched the final on a laptop in Stuttgart with my wife,” says the doubles specialist, who had already moved on to his next tournament.

“Of course it would have been great to be there to see him win but reality was it definitely wasn’t a sure thing. He was playing Novak, he’d lost a bunch of finals to that point.

“I was just glad that he won. I didn’t really care that I missed it. Obviously it was a weird situation to find yourself watching the match. The stream wasn’t even particularly great.

“I know what it meant to him to finally get his hands on the trophy. I don’t even remember what it was like when I saw him. Everything had kind of died down by then. It was a bit lame but that’s just the way it was.”

The Wimbledon victory cemented Murray’s place as one of Britain’s sporting greats, and he followed it up three years later with a second title.

Jamie does not believe achieving his biggest goal changed his brother, saying: “He was still incredibly motivated to do the best he could on the court and try to win more grand slams, that his talent probably deserved.

“That was an amazing moment in tennis where these four guys were playing in the semis and finals of every big tournament. They hoovered up everything for so long. I know Andy only won three but he played in 11 grand slam finals, which is a crazy career when you think about it.”