Wimbledon is over for another year but it once again lived up to expectations with plenty of memorable moments.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at five of the best singles matches in SW19 this year.

Andy Murray v Stefanos Tsitsipas


It is a shame the clash between two-time champion Andy Murray and fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas came as early as the second round and the pair did not disappoint over two days of action.

 

Starting around 7.30pm on the first Thursday, the first two tie-break sets were shared with Tsitsipas winning the first and Murray levelling up.

Murray immediately broke early in the third set which he then won, and was looking very good, but at 10.40pm the match was suspended due to the impending curfew.

They came back the following day and Murray could not regain his level, though would have had break points in the fourth set – that could have allowed him to then serve for the match – had he challenged an incorrect line call.

However, Tsitsipas was too good in the decider and sealed a 7-6 (3) 6-7 (2) 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-4 victory.

Holger Rune v Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

This third-round match may have gone on for a minute shy of four hours but it will always be remembered for the penultimate point.

After trading two sets apiece, with the Spaniard Davidovich Fokina going two sets to one up before Rune levelled, the fifth set went to a tiebreak.

That was typically tight and the first-to-10 breaker was tied at 8-8 with Fokina serving.

What happened next left everyone in shock as the 31st seed incredibly decided to produce an underarm serve, which Rune dispatched with ease to set up match point.

He then converted at the first attempt to seal a 6-3 4-6 3-6 6-4 7-6 (8) victory.

Elina Svitolina v Victoria Azarenka

A Sunday night clash on Court One produced great sporting theatre, full of drama and controversy.

Underpinning the fourth-round match between two mothers was some incredible tennis, but it was the first time a Ukrainian player had come up against a Russian or Belarussian at this year’s tournament.

Elina Svitolina, who went on to lose in the semi-finals, felt that she was playing for a higher cause than herself throughout the whole tournament and after battling from a set down produced a brilliant victory in a dramatic and tense deciding tie-break to win 2-6 6-4 7-6 (9).

But it was not until after the match that the real drama happened as Svitolina, as has been customary since the war in Ukraine began, refused to shake hands with Belarussian Azarenka, who was roundly booed by the Court One crowd when she then left the stadium promptly.

Ons Jabeur v Aryna Sabalenka

When Aryna Sabalenka was serving at 40-30, a point away from going 5-3 up in the second set of her semi-final against Ons Jabeur having already won the first, she cannot be blamed if she allowed herself to think of the final.

The second seed had put on a resolute display against last year’s beaten finalist, hitting her way out of trouble against the tricky Tunisian to put herself on the brink of victory.

But then Jabeur preyed on a moment of weakness from Sabalenka and won three successive games to send the match to a decider.

With momentum on her side she was able to control the third set to eventually post a 6-7 (5) 6-4 6-3 victory.

Carlos Alcaraz v Novak Djokovic

Wimbledon saved the best for last as Carlos Alcaraz claimed a first SW19 title in an epic final against defending champion Novak Djokovic.

 

The Serbian had been unbeaten on Centre Court since Andy Murray beat him in 2013 so it was going to take something special from the Spaniard to end that 45-match run – and he delivered.

An inauspicious start saw him fall a set down quickly and then Djokovic had a set point to go 2-0 up and surely on the way to a record-equalling eighth title.

But a missed backhand proved pivotal as Alcaraz mounted an astonishing comeback to go 2-1 up before Djokovic took it to a decider by winning the fourth set.

However, the 20-year-old world number one battled back brilliantly to win 1-6 7-6 (8) 6-1 3-6 6-4.

Wimbledon threw up a historic surprise in the women’s singles before Novak Djokovic’s long reign in the men’s tournament came to an end.

Czech world number 42 Marketa Vondrousova beat crowd favourite Ons Jabeur to become the first unseeded women’s champion in the competition’s history.

And a day later Carlos Alcaraz became the new King of Centre Court when he dethroned Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller.

Here, the PA news agency looks back at the 2023 Championships.

Unseeded and undefeated

Vondrousova spent last year’s Wimbledon in a cast and her SW19 experience was just to watch best friend Miriam Kolodziejova in qualifying. She ended the 2023 edition as the first unseeded women’s champion in the event’s history.

The Olympic silver medallist beat four seeds to reach the semi-finals, where she ended the emotional run of Ukrainian wild card Elina Svitolina.

She was the underdog once more in the final against last year’s runner-up Ons Jabeur, but overcame early nerves to win in straight sets and lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.

The future is now

Djokovic had not lost at Wimbledon since 2017 and had not been defeated on Centre Court since Andy Murray beat him in the 2013 final. Enter Alcaraz.

The Spanish world number one overcame a wobbly first set to beat the seven-time champion in five epic sets.

The calendar Grand Slam continues to elude Djokovic, but he will still be heavily backed to win another major title in his career and match Margaret Court’s record of 24.

But Alcaraz’s progress on grass means the odds of equalling Roger Federer’s eight titles in SW19 will have lengthened.

Tweet of the tournamentPicture of the tournamentBrit watch

British interest in the adult singles competitions ended in the first week, with Liam Broady and Katie Boulter both losing in the third round.

Andy Murray’s hopes of a long run were ended by fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round, while Cameron Norrie – who reached the semi-finals a year ago – also exited at the same stage to exciting American Chris Eubanks.

But it was not all doom and gloom for the host nation.

Wolverhampton’s Henry Searle won the boys’ singles final – the first British boy to do so since Stanley Matthews in 1961 – Liverpudlian Neal Skupski was victorious in the men’s doubles title with his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof and Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid lifted the men’s wheelchair doubles title.

Russia and Belarus return

After being banned from the 2022 edition due to the war in Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus returned this summer.

Generally, they were well received by the crowds but organisers would likely have breathed a sigh of relief when Aryna Sabalenka and Daniil Medvedev both fell at the semi-final stage, avoiding the possibility of the Princess of Wales presenting the trophy to a Belarusian or Russian player.

The only controversy came when Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was booed off court following her fourth-round defeat by Ukrainian Svitolina.

Azarenka, who put up her hand to acknowledge Svitolina knowing her opponent did not wish to shake hands with a player from the aggressor countries, branded fans “drunk” and unfair.

Quote of the tournamentShot of the tournamentStat of the tournament

Marketa Vondrousova cited being dumped by sponsor Nike as a driving factor behind her surprise Wimbledon victory.

The Czech emerged as one of the most unlikely champions at the All England Club and the first unseeded women’s winner with a 6-4 6-4 victory against favourite Ons Jabeur.

Vondrousova’s success was all the more surprising given her lack of pedigree on grass and a long injury absence last year following wrist surgery, and her failure to build on her run to the 2019 French Open final meant her clothing contract with Nike was not renewed.

“The contract ended last year and I didn’t play for six months,” she said.

“I was a bit sad when it finished but I was like, ‘We’re going to try to find something else, just show them I’m going to be good, I’m going to play good and we’ll see what happens now’. But I also feel like maybe that’s a good thing that drove me here.”

Vondrousova’s victory continued the extraordinary success story that is Czech women’s tennis.

She joins Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova as active grand slam champions while she will make her top-10 debut on Monday as one of seven Czech women in the top 35.

Vondrousova remembers watching her fellow left-hander Kvitova winning back in 2011 as a 12-year-old, saying: “I think I was probably on the couch eating some candy.

“Petra is also from a small club, from a small city, and she is a huge inspiration.

“I watched her win here and she is great person and girls from Czech are very supportive, we have a great relationship. Just to see they could do it, then you believe you can do it also.

“We practise in different clubs, we are not even together, so maybe there is something about Czechs.”

Vondrousova grew up in the small town of Sokolov, with her grandfather driving her to Prague for training every week before she moved to the capital by herself at 15 to develop her tennis.

“It’s a two-hour drive so we went for maybe Wednesday and Thursday and then went back home and I went to school. It’s an amazing journey,” she said.

One of Vondrousova’s first acts after she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish was to call her mother and her grandparents back home.

She said of her grandfather: “He is my biggest fan. To see them so happy, I’m really grateful for it because there is so much hard work and he was really the most important person in my tennis career when I was young.”

Vondrousova’s best run at Wimbledon prior to this year had been in 2021 when she lost to Emma Raducanu in the second round.

Her game, though, built on touch, slice and angles rather than power, is a good fit for grass, making this victory slightly less unexpected than at first glance.

She credits an early coach and her slightness of stature for the way her game has developed, saying: “I had one coach in my home town who taught me how to slice and everything.

“I just feel like I was always the smallest one and I just didn’t have that much power, so I had to do something else to win. You can use it really well and you have many options, so that’s a great thing to have.”

While her parents were not in London, Vondrousova was able to celebrate with her younger sister and husband, who passed over cat-sitting duties to fly over for the final.

The couple were planning to celebrate their first wedding anniversary on Sunday with a special date at the Champions Dinner.

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.

Wimbledon boys’ champion Henry Searle says his transition into the men’s game will be expedited after his title success.

The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton became the first British boy to win the singles tournament in SW19 since 1962 as a 6-4 6-4 win over Yaroslav Demin saw him emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer.

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 during the final.

And he will now look to move into the senior game while still continuing his education.

“I think there’s the jump to the men’s game that needs to be done a little bit quicker. Hopefully that can happen now,” he said.

“I’ll try to continue to work hard to try and be playing at that sort of level in the men’s, as well, in the future.

“The plan is to still do my A-Levels. How easy that will be I don’t know with all the travelling. I struggled enough as it is this year with travelling. At the end of long days it’s not ideal to try and sit down in front of a book.

“But I’ll see what happens. If the tennis is going well enough, I might not have to do them.”

He was backed by an army of fans on Court One, all decked out in matching t-shirts, and Searle has also been supported by his beloved football club Wolves.

And he hopes to be able to show his trophy off at Molineux in the forthcoming season.

“I hope so. I think that would be pretty cool,” he said. “I try and get to as many games as possible really when I’m home. Obviously it’s pretty difficult when travelling and playing tennis.

“I love going there, being with all my mates there. It’s pretty special.

“I think the Barmy Army have been exceptional from the start of the week till the end of the week. Hopefully they can continue to be like that over the years.”

There was another British victory in the boys’ under-14s as Mark Ceban beat Svit Suljic 7-6 (5) 6-3, but Hollie Smart was beaten in the girls’ under-14s, going down 6-3 6-1 to Luna Vujovic.

Hannah Klugman and Isabelle Lacy came up short in the girls’ doubles final, losing to Czech pair Alena Kovackova and Laura Samsonova.

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 during the final.

He never looked back after beating the top seed in the first round and the teenager succeeded where Jack Draper and Liam Broady have failed in recent years by winning the final.

On the prospect of what might be to come, he said on court: “I’ll definitely try and prepare myself for it, I’ll keep working hard and see what happens.”

He added: “It is amazing to play on Court One with such a special crowd and manage to get the job done.

“It’s a pretty special feeling and it is not going to come too often and I am going to try and enjoy it. It was amazing in front of this crowd today.”

He was backed by an army of fans on Court One, all decked out in matching t-shirts, and Searle was not overawed by his surroundings and the prospect of what he could achieve.

An even opening to the first set was punctuated by a small rain delay after which a key passage of play occurred.

Searle’s serve came under pressure for the first time in the match and he did brilliantly to fend off three break points.

As often is the case, he had the momentum and then broke Demin, a Russian with a powerful forehand, to lead 5-4.

With the pressure on serving for the set at 30-30 Searle fired a 132mph bullet serve that was an ace and then won the set with a booming forehand winner.

Everything was going Searle’s way and a break in the first game of the second set put him in even further control.

He then showed confidence and composure to hold Demin at bay and sealed the title when the Russian went long on his first championship point.

There was another British victory in the boys’ under-14s as Mark Ceban beat Svit Suljic 7-6 (5) 6-3, but Hollie Smart was beaten in the girls’ under-14s, going down 6-3 6-1 to Luna Vujovic.

Kim Clijsters has advised Ons Jabeur to “fake it until you make it” after another heartbreaking grand slam final defeat.

The popular Tunisian could not overcome her nerves in a 6-4 6-4 loss to Marketa Vondrousova that made it back-to-back Wimbledon final losses.

A US Open final defeat to Iga Swiatek was sandwiched in between and Jabeur now joins an unwanted club of players who have lost their first three grand slam finals.

Like Andy Murray, it took Belgian Clijsters five attempts before she finally won one, and she shared tears with Jabeur in the locker room

“Just watching her in her interview and seeing the emotions afterwards, it brings back a lot of memories and thoughts of how you go about it,” said Belgian Clijsters.

“There’s no secret, it’s just trying to give yourself the opportunity to get to that stage again. The unfortunate thing is you cannot practise these things, you cannot practise being in a grand slam final, you can only do it within the occasion.

“The biggest thing she has to maybe learn is to fake it, fake it until you make it. You could see it really clearly that the negative emotions were taking over.

“If she missed a shot, there was the natural kind of reaction that was negative. When she made a great point, there was nothing a lot of the time. That just showed the doubt was overpowering everything.”

Clijsters lost twice in French Open finals and once each at the Australian Open and US Open before her maiden success in New York in 2005.

“It’s tough,” said the 40-year-old, who went on to win four major titles. “But there shouldn’t be any question in her mind about whether she can do it or not. She can beat all these players, there’s no doubt about that.

“For me the most disappointing is not so much the loss, it’s the fact that you weren’t able to bring your best tennis to the biggest occasion, and that’s the most frustrating and that’s why you start to worry – why am I not able to do it? Why am I so overwhelmed with emotions on the big stage?

“But it does feel good eventually when you get it. It’s definitely a process. I just know looking back I wasn’t ready to win and I’m very happy I didn’t win my first.”

Jabeur was grateful for Clijsters’ support and is encouraged that many other players have been through similar adversity before eventually getting their hands on a winners’ trophy.

“I love Kim so much,” said Jabeur. “She’s a great inspiration for me. I grew up watching her a bit. The fact that she takes the time to give me advice and to really hug me, always be there for me, I think it’s priceless.

“She was telling me all the time she lost four. That’s the positive out of it. You cannot force things. It wasn’t meant to be.”

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.

Neal Skupski revealed he had no choice but to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles title after his brother and coach Ken returned from his family holiday in Ibiza to watch the final.

Skupski became just the second Briton to win the SW19 men’s doubles in the open era, after Jonny Marray 11 years ago, as he and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court.

The 33-year-old Liverpudlian thought he would have to play his final without Ken in his box after his older sibling drove home following Thursday’s semi-final to go on holiday.


But his big brother hot-footed it back to the tournament and, wearing his brother’s clothes, saw history being made as Neal completed a Wimbledon hat-trick following 2021 and 2022 wins in the mixed doubles.

 

“There was a lot of pressure on me this morning after he came back,” Neal said. “He did go to Ibiza for probably 14 hours.

“He drove home straightaway after the semi-final, back to Liverpool and it obviously took four or five hours.

“He got back around 11pm, had a 2am alarm and drove to Manchester airport with his family. Got to Ibiza around 9.30am and enjoyed the day there.

“Then he had a 1am flight this morning back from Ibiza that was delayed a couple of hours so got into Gatwick at 4.30am, slept in a pod at Gatwick airport. Got the car at 9am here.

“He was on court with me borrowing my clothes. Yeah, he’s already left to go back to Ibiza with the family. He probably wants a pay rise!

“He always said, ‘If you make the final, I’m coming back’. I don’t know if he ever believed that I’d make the final. But, yeah, amazing for him. Unbelievable commitment.”

After winning the mixed doubles with Desirae Krawczyk in the last two years, Neal said the men’s doubles title would be the “pinnacle” and it is his first grand slam triumph in the men’sevent, having lost in the US Open final last year.

He also becomes the first British man to win a hat-trick of titles since the great Fred Perry in the late 1930s.

“I’m speechless really,” he added. “It’s something I never thought would ever happen. Obviously I won the mixed doubles a couple times with Desirae Krawczyk.

“It’s just an amazing feeling right now.

“It’s an amazing achievement, when you said about Fred Perry, the last person to win three in a row.

“But, yeah, it’s nothing that I was thinking about coming into the event. It was more thinking about me and Wesley, what we were going to do.

“The goal this year was to win a grand slam. Obviously we’ve done well in previous grand slams, making the quarter-finals and the US Open final last year.

“But now to call ourselves grand slam champions in the men’s doubles, an amazing achievement for not just us but the whole team.”

Marketa Vondrousova is the women’s Wimbledon champion after she beat Ons Jabeur in the final to win her first grand slam.

Neal Skupski completed his hat-trick of titles at SW19 by winning the men’s doubles with Wesley Koolhof, while Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid continued their domination of the wheelchair doubles with a fifth title here.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 13 of the Championships.

Vondrousova’s moment of history

Marketa Vondrousova created history when she became the first unseeded player to win the women’s title at Wimbledon after her 6-4 6-4 victory over Ons Jabeur.

The Czech’s victory marks an impressive comeback after injury stalled her career having made the French Open final as a 19-year-old and she was only at Wimbledon last year to support her best friend in qualifying while wearing a cast following wrist surgery.

But now her name is on the honours board and she has a place in history, becoming just the third Czech woman to lift the title following Martina Navratilova and Petra Kvitova.

Spare a thought for Jabeur, though, who lost in the final for a second year in a row. She was inconsolable at the end, having firmly believed that this was her time, but vowed to come back and win Wimbledon in the future.

Tweet of the dayHat-trick for Skupski

Neal Skupski became just the second Briton to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles in the open era after he and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof triumphed on Centre Court.

Only Jonny Marray had previously won in SW19 back in 2012, but Skupski and Koolhof lived up to their top seed billing with a 6-4 6-4 win over Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Victory ensured home success at this year’s tournament and also gave Skupski a Wimbledon hat-trick after glory in the 2021 and 2022 mixed doubles.

Skupski, 33 and from Liverpool, said this would be the “pinnacle” and it is his first grand slam title in the men’s doubles, having lost in the US Open final last year.

Picture of the dayHewett eyes full set after more doubles joy

Alfie Hewett is one win away from completing the set of grand slams after making his way through to the wheelchair singles finals.

The Briton has won at the Australian Open, the French Open and US Open but his home slam has so far evaded him.

After easing past Martin De La Puente in the semi-finals he will now go for glory against top seed Tokito Oda, who beat Gordon Reid on his way to the final.

While the singles title at Wimbledon has proved problematic, Hewett has had no problems in the doubles with his partner Reid and they claimed a fifth title in SW19.

The home pair beat Japanese opponents Takuya Miki and Oda to post an 18th grand slam crown together.

Quote of the daySearle closing in on history

There is a chance of even more British success on Sunday as Henry Searle is in the boy’s final.

The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton is one match away from becoming Britain’s first singles champion in the boys’ tournament for 61 years.

Having earlier knocked out the top seed he ousted American fourth seed Cooper Williams 7-6 (4) 6-3 in the semi-finals.

If he can beat Russian Yaroslav Demin in the final he will emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed back in 1962.

Shot of the dayStat of the day

British duo Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid thrilled a packed Court One by winning their fifth Wimbledon wheelchairs doubles title.

Hewett and Reid reclaimed the trophy, having been runners up last year, with a 3-6 6-0 6-3 victory over Japan’s Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda in three sets.

It was an 18th grand slam win for the pair and a measure of revenge for Scotsman Reid, who was beaten by Oda in the singles semi-final earlier on Saturday.

“That was something else, I’ve got goosebumps,” said Hewett.

“We dream of atmospheres like this, it doesn’t come around often and I’m glad we rose to the occasion.”

Reid added: “It was a great match. I think we’re going to have a lot of battles in the future.

“Me and Alfie, on match point, we were both tearing up a little bit, the atmosphere was electric.

“My first Wimbledon was in 2008 on court 53 or something in front of three men and his dog, my mum and my sister.

“If you’d told me then we’d be on a nearly full Court One with the crowd going berserk, I would never have believed you.

“It’s an incredible atmosphere and an incredible occasion for us and for wheelchair tennis.”

Hewett will look to win his first Wimbledon singles title on Sunday when he takes on 17-year-old Oda in the final.

Neal Skupski became just the second Briton to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles in the open era after he and Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof triumphed on Centre Court.

Only Jonny Marray had previously won at SW19 back in 2012, but Skupski and Koolhof lived up to their top seed billing with a 6-4 6-4 win over Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Victory ensured home success at this year’s tournament and also gave Skupski a Wimbledon hat-trick after glory in the 2021 and 2022 mixed doubles.

Skupski, 33 and from Liverpool, said this would be the “pinnacle” and it is his first grand slam title in the men’s doubles, having lost in the US Open final last year.

Pre-armed with some tactical analysis sent in from Skupski’s brother Ken from his holiday in Ibiza, the Dutch-British pair looked assured from the off.

And at 3-3 in the first set they made their move, breaking Granollers’ serve when the Spaniard kindly sent down a double fault on break point.

Skupski consolidated the break with an impressive service game and, after missing a set point on Zeballos’ serve in the next game, it was left to Koolhof to serve it out nicely and claim the set 6-4.

They continued to dominate and crucially took Zeballos’ serve to lead 3-2 after a particularly impressive return game.

Skupski immediately held to go 4-2 up before they missed two break points to move within a game of the title as Granollers came good.

But that left the Briton to finish the job and he did not disappoint the home crowd, falling to the floor in celebration after their opponents went long on the first championship point.

Skupski said on court: “I don’t know what to say. Growing up watching this amazing championship, going out there as a small boy, this feeling at the moment doesn’t get better.

“Me and Wesley came together 18 months ago and this year one of our goals was to win a grand slam and now we have done it, it feels very special.”

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