Novak Djokovic’s match in the Wimbledon men’s final drew the lowest television ratings ever recorded by the BBC.

In the rematch of the 2023 final, Alcaraz and Djokovic met again at the All England Club. Despite Alcaraz successfully defending his title with a 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory, the match differed significantly from their previous marathon encounter. Last year’s five-set battle lasted four hours and 42 minutes, while this year’s final concluded in just two hours and 28 minutes, showcasing Alcaraz’s dominant performance from the outset.

Former British No. 1 Tim Henman described the match as an “annihilation,” underscoring Djokovic’s struggles throughout the day. Consequently, BBC’s viewership numbers saw a notable decline, with a peak of 7.6 million viewers on TV compared to 11.3 million last year. Streaming figures also dropped, with 3.3 million viewers on BBC iPlayer this year compared to 4.1 million in the previous final.

In contrast, the women’s final experienced a smaller decrease in viewership, with Barbora Krejcikova’s victory attracting a peak audience of 4.1 million compared to 4.5 million last year. However, streaming numbers increased slightly, with 1.9 million viewers tuning in on BBC iPlayer this year compared to 1.3 million in 2023.

Comparatively, the men’s final figures this year fared well against previous years, surpassing the 7.5 million viewers for the Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios final in 2022 and approaching the 9.6 million viewers for Djokovic’s five-set victory over Roger Federer in 2019.

The Euro 2024 final between England and Spain later in the day further impacted BBC’s viewership, drawing attention away from Wimbledon. The football match garnered a peak audience of 17.8 million on BBC and six million on ITV, contributing to a combined viewership of 23.8 million, which although impressive, fell short of the 31 million viewers recorded four years ago during the Euro 2020 final when England faced Italy.