Wimbledon fans all have same complaint as they fume at BBC's Carlos Alcaraz coverage

Viewers who watched Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Andrey Rublev on BBC One were left annoyed on Sunday evening by the broadcaster’s decision. Alcaraz reached the last 16 at Wimbledon with a stunning performance that saw him come from a set down, yet not everyone was able to enjoy it in the same fashion.

The defending champion had to be at his best to overcome 14th seed Rublev, who flew out of the traps to take the opening set. But Alcaraz went toe to toe with the Russian and wrestled back control to win 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 under the roof on Centre Court.

He will face Cameron Norrie in the next round after the Brit beat Nicolas Jarry in a five-set epic earlier on Sunday. Those inside Centre Court were transfixed on the action, with Alcaraz and Rublev trading some eye-catching rallies at extreme intensity.

But many who tuned into BBC One to watch the match were irritated by the way the broadcaster went about it. While iPlayer was up to speed with the live action, BBC One was well behind, meaning anyone who was on social media or checking the score elsewhere would have received spoilers.

READ MORE: Wimbledon chiefs offer grovelling apology after technology failure left players fuming

READ MORE: Cameron Norrie involved in Wimbledon controversy as furious opponent asks umpire to step in

The problem arose because BBC One had been showing the end of Norrie’s engrossing win over Jarry. And when they changed to Alcaraz’s match, they decided to start further back so viewers could see Rublev winning the first-set tie-break.

It meant a hefty time delay, which didn’t go unnoticed on social media. “The tie break happened 20 minutes ago,” one viewer noted on X.

Another bemused viewer wrote: “Why is BBC coverage of Alcaraz and Rublev behind? They’re onto the second set yet only just showing us the set one tiebreak???” Someone replied: “Exactly my thinking? Why not show it live?”

“Another blunder from the BBC. We're watching the first set when they're a 3rd through the 2nd,” another annoyed fan added.

Thankfully, what they did see was some stunning tennis between two of the most exciting men in the game. Alcaraz served superbly, hitting 22 aces past his opponent to go with his 41 winners in the match, which took two hours and 43 minutes.

There were some jaw-dropping rallies and displays of clean hitting as Alcaraz came back from a slow start, which had seen him 4-1 down in the first set. “It is just about belief in yourself. It doesn't matter if you are set down,” he said.

"Tennis can change in one point. One point can change a match completely. You have to stay there all the time, be strong mentally." Alcaraz will have a day off on Monday before playing Norrie on Tuesday at the All England Club.