Wimbledon, England – Carlos Alcaraz, locked in a five-set struggle on the centre court, looked at his coach on Monday, as if Fabio Fognini (38, retired after this season and won’t win in 2025) could continue playing until he turned 50.
“I don’t know why it was his last Wimbledon,” Alcaraz said later.
The two-time defending champion at the All-England club had to go through more than 4 1/2 hours of back and forth shifts against Fognini, who had far less touched, before appearing in 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory in the first round.
That wasn’t supposed to be that difficult.
“I didn’t expect to play five sets against him,” Fognini said. “I had a chance.”
To begin with, second-seeded Alcaraz is 22 years old, already a five-time Grand Slam champion, his latest champion at the French Open three weeks ago, and currently has a top winning streak in 19 matches.
Also, consider that Fognini has never passed his third round at All England Club in 15 appearances. He ranked 138th and 0-6 this year.
It sometimes seemed Alkaraz was less than his best. It was far from the form he displayed during his grand five sets, 5 1/2 hour comeback victory for the championship at Roland Garos.
Alkaraz double folded 9 times. He faced a 21 breakpoint with conviction difficulties. He made a forced error at 62 years old than the winner.
He choked some of them into his nerves.
Alkaraz, who defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 finals, said: “Wimbledon is different. Today I could feel really nervous at first.”
The only newest men’s champion at Wimbledon was beaten twice in the first round the following year.
Alcaraz’s next match will be with 21-year-old British qualifier Oliver Turbet, who played college tennis at the University of San Diego on Wednesday and ranked 733rd.
Still, Alkaraz said: “I have to improve in the next round.”
Fognini – wife, 2015 US Open Champion Flavia Penetta, hosting one of his children in the stands, is a self-descriptive hothead and is known for his flare-ups during the match, including Wimbledon. He was on probation for two years by the Grand Slam Commission in 2017, slandering a woman’s chair umpire at the US Open and was kicked out of the tournament.
No such behavior was shown on Monday. And Fognini nodded towards his guest box as Alcaraz pushed the forehand to give in to the fourth set. There, his close associates stood to take photos with their cell phones. At that moment, things were picturesquely perfect for Fognini.
But at the start of the fifth time – Alcaraz was recalibrated when the previous year’s male champion was first pushed in the first round since Roger Federer in 2010.
When the Spaniard broke to lead 2-0 on that set with the backhand volley winner, he pointed towards the stands, threw an uppercut and cried out “Vamos!” In the next game, he saved a pair of breakpoints. Then, before the match was suspended for more than 10 minutes as the crowd got sick amid the record-breaking hotspot on Wimbledon’s first day.
When they resumed, Alkaraz defeated the rest of the road with fognini.