It wasn't supposed to be this difficult. 38-year-old Fabio Fognini was likely playing in his final Wimbledon, and competing against the best men's player on grass courts. Carlos Alcaraz had won the last two Wimbledon titles and was the heavy favorite ahead of the tournament to win his third straight.
The issues started early for the Spaniard. He just seemed slightly off, having far more unforced errors than he normally does. He was still creating some wonderful shots that only he and maybe Jannik Sinner can currently do, but not as many as usual. Instead, Fognini was matching Alcaraz shot for shot.
It likely helped Fognini that there was zero pressure on him. He has had a decent career, reaching No. 9 in 2019 and the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2011. But he was expected to be only a slight bump on Alcaraz's road to the Wimbledon final.
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Fabio Fognini in a fantastic first-round match at Wimbledon 2025
The Spaniard seemed tight, while the Italian played with energy. He also might have been playing one of the best matches of his life. After dropping the first set, no one would have blamed Fognini for folding. Instead, the Italian found a way to win the second set in a 7-5 tie-break.
The third set was no easier for Alcaraz. He had more winners than unforced errors, but so did Fognini. The Spaniard was simply not pushing his opponent around the court as he normally does. Because of a late break, Alcaraz was able to take the set 7-5.
In the fourth set, the proverbial wheels came off for Alcaraz. Maybe this was his one bad match for Wimbledon in 2025, but he has to play better than his lethargic fourth set when his body language made it seem as if he thought he was going to lose the match, not just the set.
Fognini, meanwhile, kept getting to balls he doesn't normally get to, and kept points alive without making too many errors. He finished the set with 14 winners and just seven unforced errors. Alcaraz was eight and 12, respectively, in losing the set decisively at 2-6.
But as champions often do, Alcaraz came back in the fifth set as a different player. He got a break of Fognini in the second game of the set to take a 2-0 lead, and the Spaniard simply needed to hold from there. A great and tight match had a fifth set that was not going to be as close.
Fognini did hold two break points in the third game to try to get a break to even the set if he held serve in his next game, but the Spaniard used a drop-shot and excellent serves to hold to make the set 3-0. At that point, the outcome of the match seemed certain. That Spaniard would go on to win 7-5 6-7(5) 7-5 2-6 6-1 in a four-hour and 37-minute match.
Fognini should be applauded for his effort. To likely finish his Wimbledon career by pushing the two-time champion Alcaraz to a fifth set is impressive, as was the Italian having 21 break-point chances. He might have lost the match, but he earned a lot of respect.
Alcaraz may very well go on to win his third straight Wimbledon title, but he spent a lot of energy in the first round by defeating Fognini. One wonders if that might affect his stamina later in the tournament.