Djokovic was aiming to win a fifth consecutive Wimbledon trophy (which would have equalled Björn Borg and Roger Federer's Open Era record), an eighth title overall (matching Federer's all-time record), and complete the third part of a prospective calendar year Grand Slam.

[6][7] His only grass court title was his most recent entry, the 2023 Queen's Club Championships, an ATP 500 event that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon.

[12] Djokovic won his first three matches comfortably, defeating Pedro Cachin, Jordan Thompson, and Stan Wawrinka in straight sets.

[17] Djokovic made the second and final break of the game at 3–3 in the fourth set, and both players held their serve.

[16] Alcaraz lost the first set in his fourth round match against Matteo Berrettini, runner-up in 2021, but won the next three to progress to the quarterfinals with a score of 3–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–3.

[21] He defeated Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev in straight sets in the quaterfinals and semifinals respectively, to make his first appearance in a Wimbledon final.

Alcaraz failed to convert a break point on the opening game of the final set, allowing Djokovic to defend his serve.

The next game, Djokovic was also unable to convert a break point, after a defence from Alcaraz forced him into an error on a volley.

In his on-court interview, he called the title "a dream come true", while noting his own surprise at his performance for his age, further stating that "if I lost, I would have been proud of myself".

[24] He paid tribute to Djokovic's longevity in the sport, saying that "I started playing tennis watching you", and joked that "36 is the new 26".

[26] Djokovic's loss ended his 45-match winning streak on Centre Court, which had lasted since his 2013 final defeat to Andy Murray.

[28] Djokovic described the loss as "tough one to swallow" in his on-court interview, but acknowledged that he had "lost to the better player" and that "it couldn't be better for our sport".

[33] Many celebrities and former tennis professionals attended the match, including King Felipe VI, Daniel Craig, Ariana Grande, Idris Elba, Rachel Weisz, Brad Pitt, Emma Watson, Jonathan Bailey, Priyanka Chopra, Nick Jonas, Shakira, Imogen Poots, James Norton, Stan Smith, Chris Evert, Annabel Croft, and Stefan Edberg.