Fabio Fognini and Carlos Alcaraz Delivered a Wimbledon Classic

Four hours and 37 minutes. Five sets. Absolute madness.

Carlos Alcaraz edged out a determined Fabio Fognini 7-5, 6-7 (1), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 in a massive first round battle that set the stage for the rest of Day 1. Neither player was willing to concede, keeping up their intensity while remaining strategic with ball placement to break each other's serves.

"The level he has shown, he can still play three, four more years," Alcaraz said. "Unbelievable. I have to give him the credit of a great match. Fabio is a great player. The level and the talent he has, once again, he can show today."

The 38-year-old Italian showed no signs of slowing down, his 10-match tour-level losing streak clearly a thing of the past as he met Alcaraz ball for ball. Despite the Spaniard taking a two sets to one lead, Fognini pressed on, harping on Alcaraz's serve to break the youngster and force a fifth set.

It was an unusual showing for the defending champ, who doubled faulted nine times and made more unforced errors than winners. It's not often Alcaraz falls victim to bouts of frustration, but emotions ran high for the World No. 2 as he let his anger known a few times on court.

Regardless, Alcaraz marched on, quickly taking command of the fifth set with an early break off a backhand volley winner for a 2-0 lead. From there, the Spaniard took command of the final set, cruising to a 6-1 set victory to end the match in his favor.

"Playing the first match at Centre Court, the first match of the tournament is never easy," Alcaraz said. "I've been practicing pretty well, I've been playing on grass really well, but at Wimbledon it's special. It's different. I could feel the difference between Wimbledon and other tournaments."

It was an emotional loss for Fognini, who bid farewell to Wimbledon after announcing his retirement from tennis after the 2025 season earlier this year. The Italian has had many memorable matches against top-10 players throughout his career, including defeating Rafael Nadal to win his first Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo.

"I have to be honest, I cried in the locker room. I cried," Fognini said. "I didn't expect [to] play five sets against him. I have to be honest. The way I was coming here, I [had] no expectation because since I started the year this year, after the injury, I was playing really bad. I didn't win so many matches…

Alcaraz did not hesitate to give Fognini his flowers at the end of the match, leading a standing ovation for the Italian as he walked off Centre Court. In a tender moment at the net, Fognini asked Alcaraz for his shirt for his son, Federico, who is a huge fan of his.

38 años? 😳 Enhorabuena por el inmenso partido @fabiofogna! 🤝🏻 Ha sido un honor compartir esta batalla en Wimbledon contigo! 💥🌱 pic.twitter.com/LReuz0nGg4
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) June 30, 2025

Alcaraz was one of a handful of seeds to survive on Day 1, with Medvedev, Rune, and Zverev crashing out in long-winded matches. His win keeps his unbeaten streak in first-round matches at Grand Slams alive at 18 matches and extends his winning streak at Wimbledon to 15 matches. He faces British qualifier Oliver Tarvet in the second round.

Wimbledon runs through July 13. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all of your tennis news from the court and beyond.

More Tennis News

Alexander Zverev said he might need therapy after Wimbledon.

Wimbledon Chaos: Full list of seeded players upset in Round 1.

Wimbledon Day 1 Recap: Upsets, retirements, and heat.

Naomi Osaka reveals why Nick Kyrgios sat in her box at Wimbledon.

Qinwen Zheng gave Carlos Alcaraz a Labubu at Wimbledon, or did she?