Wimbledon 2024 final: Live score and updates as Kate is back on Centre Court as Novak Djokovic is BROKEN in the first game by champion Carlos Alcaraz

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.