London – Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz needs to make a round-trip turn in the central court for more than 4 1/2 hours, while on Monday, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 wins in Wimbledon’s first round, 7-5, 6-5), 7-5, 6-6, 6-1 wins.
No. 2 seed Alcaraz has more time than anyone would have expected to extend his current winning streak to a career-best 19 games before.
First, consider Alcaraz is 22 years old and has been a five-time Grand Slam champion, including his latest title at the French Open three weeks ago.
Likewise, Fognini is 38, planning to retire after the season, never entered the third round of the 15-time All England Club and reached the quarter-finals in any major tournament, second only to the 2011 French Open. He also entered the 138th place on Monday, with a record of 0-6 in 2025.
Oh, and then this: Only two men’s champions in Wimbledon’s reign were defeated in the first round of the following year, Lleyton Hewitt was defeated in 2003, and Manuel Santana in 1967.
Sometimes, on Monday, Alcaraz seems to have less than his best, a far cry from the form he showed in his epic five-set, 5 1/2-hour comeback victory, beating first place Jannik Sinner’s Roland-Garros title.
He told two ways nine times. He faces an incredible 21 breakthrough points. He made an uncompulsory mistake than the winner of 52 and 62 years old.
There was a moment when Alcaraz looked at his coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, and shouted at Fognini’s appearance as if he could continue playing until he was 50.
Fognini nodded as Alcaraz pushed his forehand to delay the ceding of the fourth set, and nodded to his guest box, members of his entourage standing there to take pictures on their cell phones. Fognini’s situation was perfect at the time.
But at the start of the fifth – the male champion of the previous year was pushed in the first round for the first time since Roger Federer in 2010.
When the Spaniard led 2-0 with a backhand scorer championship, he pointed to the stands, threw a hit, screaming, “vamos!” In the next game, he saved two breakout points before the game was paused for 10 minutes, as the audience was unhappy in the heat of Wimbledon’s first day.
As they recovered, Alkaraz continued to impose himself and defeated Fognini for the rest of the process.
