BBC viewers left furious after blunder during Novak Djokovic Wimbledon match

But instead of being taken straight to the closing stages of a gripping set, viewers who moved across were met with the end of EastEnders.

The mix-up resulted in a gap in live coverage, with some fans claiming they missed several minutes of action before the tennis eventually resumed.

By the time coverage returned, Wu had already taken the second set, leaving many supporters frustrated at missing one of the most important moments of the match.

The incident sparked an immediate backlash on social media, with fans accusing the BBC of poor planning on the opening day of Wimbledon.

One viewer wrote on X: "Oh well done @bbctennis. Day one of the tournament and we're already doing the switchy BBC Two to BBC One malarkey.

"Switch over to find the end of EastEnders, BBC adverts and opening music to find, hey we missed the end of that set. Marvellous."

Another said: "So annoying that the BBC mess up the channel switch over so that we miss major points in the match! Nobody needs to see EastEnders credits!"

A third posted: "BBC Tennis coverage... How can you switch away from Djokovic at a crucial point and have EastEnders on BBC Two? Absolute joke coverage."

Another frustrated fan added: "Awful television management from BBC. Crucial set point at Wimbledon and they switch the channel when EastEnders is still on. Missed the winning point."

The error came during a surprisingly testing afternoon for Djokovic, who was made to work hard by Wu despite eventually booking his place in the second round.

Djokovic, seeded seventh at this year's Championships, took the opening set 6-4 and initially appeared to be in control.

But Wu responded impressively, feeding off the energy of the Centre Court crowd and raising his level to drag himself back into the contest.

The Chinese player claimed the second set while many BBC viewers were still trying to find the match on television.

Djokovic, however, eventually reasserted his authority, winning the next two sets 6-4, 6-4 to avoid a major opening-round scare.

Speaking after the match, the 24-time Grand Slam winner admitted he had been pushed far harder than expected.

"Obviously it's better when you win in the end," Djokovic said.

"It felt really challenging today, Wu deserves a round of applause for his incredible performance.

"As for how I'm feeling, I'm feeling happy but not the freshest I guess. It didn't feel like the first round to be honest."

Djokovic also suggested the conditions changed significantly once the roof came into play.

"It felt like we played two different matches; one with the open roof and the closed roof," he added.

"He put me under a lot of pressure. I've never faced him before.

"He definitely surprised me with the level of every shot he had in his game."