Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic Wimbledon final was most watched match on BBC since Andy Murray's 2016 win at SW19

Carlos Alcaraz etched his name in the history books by dethroning four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in an enthralling five-set Wimbledon final on Sunday. The four-hour, 42-minute contest - the second-longest Wimbledon final ever - was the most watched title match at SW19 on BBC in nearly a decade.

A peak audience of 11.3 million on BBC One watched the Alcaraz-Djokovic gladiatorial battle unfold. That made it the most watched Wimbledon final on BBC since Andy Murray's 2016 win over Milos Raonic (13.3 million).

The 2023 men's final was also streamed 4.1 million times on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport online, with the BBC's overall coverage of the two-week event setting a new record for digital viewing figures at 54.3 million. An estimated 25.6 million viewers watched Wimbledon on BBC TV this year.

Meanwhile, the Wimbledon ladies final between Marketa Vondrousova and Ons Jabeur had a peak audience of 4.5 million, an increase of 1.4 million from the 2022 title match.

The 2023 women's final was streamed 1.3 million times on BBC iPlayer, marking an impressive 85% increase from the previous year.

An elated BBC director of sport, Barbara Slater, said about the viewing numbers over the fortnight:

"It's great to see that we have been able to meet the viewing demands of audiences, with significant increases in streaming of both the men's and women's finals, and a huge peak on BBC One on Sunday."

She added:

"We are continually committed to bringing the very best coverage of Wimbledon to audiences across the UK, so I'm enormously proud that we have been able to do that once again this year."

The partnership between BBC and the All England Lawn Tennis Club spans more than 85 years on BBC TV and more than 95 years on BBC radio, the longest numbers in sports broadcasting history.

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How the Carlos Alcaraz-Novak Djokovic Wimbledon final unfolded

Alcaraz (facing) broke through Djokovic's Wimbledon bastion on Sunday.

Playing in his first Wimbledon final, Alcaraz was a bundle of nerves in the opening set, winning only one game. Following an exchange of breaks in a competitive second set, the 20-year-old recovered from a 3-0 deficit and set point down in the tiebreaker to restore parity.

Riding his momentum, the Spaniard broke Djokovic twice in the third set, including an epic 27-minute fifth game featuring 13 deuces, to take a two-sets-to-one lead.

But the Serb, who had won his previous 34 matches at Wimbledon and 45 on Centre Court, wasn't willing to go down without a fight. Breaking Alcaraz twice in the fourth set, he unsurprisingly forced a decider.

Djokovic, however, would rue missing a forehand volley to go up 2-0 in the fifth set. Alcaraz rode a lone break to serve out the biggest win of his career.

Playing only his 10th Major, Alcaraz is the quickest player in the Open Era to win multiple Slams. He is also the third-youngest Wimbledon men's singles champion in the Open Era.