Wimbledon 2025: Carlos Alcaraz Beats Fabio Fognini In Epic First Round Battle

Fabio Fognini made waves in the last match of his Wimbledon career, pushing two-time defending champions Carlos Alcaraz all the way to five sets in their first round encounter on Centre Court. It was a terrific display of crafty, clever tennis by the veteran Italian, who even at 38-years-old had the ability and experience to take advantage of some loose tennis by the Spaniard 16 years his junior.

Fabio Fognini requests Carlos Alcaraz, 16 years his younger, for his t-shirt to gift to his son.(Screengrab - Wimbledon X)

Fognini was left in tears as Alcaraz served out the match in the fifth set, as the realisation dawned on him that he was playing his last few rallies at the most famous tennis tournament in the world. Fognini was clearly emotional towards the end of the match, having played his heart out to win sets two and four, coming from behind with some extremely sharp tennis.