Wimbledon forced to 'close Henman Hill' during Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz final
Novak Djokovic's showdown against Carlos Alcaraz was met with a brilliant turnout, even outside of Centre Court.
Highlights from Wimbledon day 13
Wimbledon officials were forced to close Henman Hill on Sunday afternoon as crowds flocked to catch a glimpse of Novak Djokovic's blockbuster final against Carlos Alcaraz. Those not lucky enough to be seated on Centre Court came to soak up the atmosphere within the grounds, as the top two seeds went to battle at SW19.
Viewers were given the men's final that many tennis fans craved as Alcaraz and Djokovic each breezed through the semi-finals earlier this week. Alcaraz demolished world No 3 Daniil Medvedev and Djokovic dispatched young gun Jannik Sinner to set up a clash between an established legend and a challenger.
As a result, supporters descended on the All England Club in their thousands on Sunday. Some were fortunate enough to make it inside Centre Court for the hotly-anticipated contest, while others took their positions on Henman Hill as high winds swirled in south-west London.
It wasn't long before tournament organisers were forced to take action, however, as presenter Clare Balding explained live on the BBC that the famous hill had reached full capacity.
"Henman Hill has actually been closed now because it’s absolutely rammed," said the 52-year-old, who took over the head presenting role from Sue Barker this year. "They cannot fit anymore people on there."
Those who managed to secure a view of the contest on the big screen that faces Henman Hill were treated to a dominant first set from Djokovic. The Serb quickly adjusted to the windy conditions to prevail 6-1 as his 20-year-old opponent struggled to find his range.
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Djokovic went into the match undefeated in a completed Wimbledon match since 2016, and he had not lost on Centre Court in over a decade. Alcaraz, however, is viewed by many as the sport's next superstar and he already has one Grand Slam title under his belt, having won the US Open last year.
Leading up to Sunday's final, Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, attempted to downplay the aura given off by 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, telling Sport: "Djokovic is the best player ever, but he also has two arms and two legs like all of us.
"If we enlarge the giant it will be impossible to beat him. Forget history and numbers. He can't go out on the court with that backpack.
"We know that he is a very complete player, he has shown it many times: both forehand, backhand, and serve; and on a mental level in this type of situation you grow a lot."