Carlos Alcaraz weathered a big fright in his Wimbledon first round against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini on Monday before prevailing in five sets to start his quest for a third consecutive title at the All England Club.
Alcaraz fought to a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory over the 38-year-old Italian in a four-hour, 37-minute first-round duel under hot conditions on Centre Court. It was the first time since Roger Federer edged past Alejandro Falla in 2010 that a defending champion had been pushed to a fifth set in Wimbledon’s first round.
Defending Champion Carlos Alcaraz Pushes Through Struggles
Alcaraz brushed aside a patchy performance featuring 62 unforced errors as he dug deep not to fold on the record-breaking hottest opening day at Wimbledon.
“First of all, I don’t know why it is probably Fabio’s last Wimbledon because the level he has shown shows he can still play for three or four more years,” Alcaraz said.
“Playing on Centre Court for the first match of any tournament is never easy. I’ve been practising pretty well and playing on grass really well, but Wimbledon is special and different.
“I could feel the difference between Wimbledon and the other tournaments. I just tried to play my best but I would say that I could play better.”
Decider Dominance Secures Victory for Carlos Alcaraz
The 22-year-old came from behind to take a vital break in the second game of the decider, shouting “vamos” after holding off two break points in the following game.
Fognini had presented Alcaraz with much tougher test than anticipated, but world number 138 failed to maintain the tempo as the tireless Spaniard again proved master of the final set. Alcaraz has never lost in a Grand Slam first round in 18 tries.
Eyes on Wimbledon History
Having previously defeated Novak Djokovic in the last two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz wants to join an exclusive list of Wimbledon legends.
He firmly established his clay-court credentials by fighting back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in an epic French Open final earlier this month.
Alcaraz is equally dynamic on grass, winning 30 of his 33 Tour-level matches on the surface, with his last defeat at Wimbledon coming against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022.
He is bidding to join the exclusive club of five men to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles since Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic, a seven-time champion.
If he accomplishes that goal, Alcaraz would be the second-youngest player in the Open Era to win six Grand Slam men’s titles since Borg, who achieved that milestone in 1978.
Next Challenge: Oliver Tarvet
He will play British qualifier Oliver Tarvet in the second round.
“He is playing great tennis on grass and if he is in the second round of Wimbledon then he is playing at a great level,” Alcaraz said.
“I will try to improve the things that didn’t work today, such as the return and the forehand. Let’s keep enjoying being at Wimbledon as well.”
