Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz survives Fabio Fognini in five-set Wimbledon opener

On the hottest day in Wimbledon history, Carlos Alcaraz had his feet to the fire. The two-time defending champion was given all he could handle by former Top 10 player Fabio Fognini, playing in his final Wimbledon, on Day 1 at the All England Club but survived a five-set first round in more than four hours on Centre Court, 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-1.

As air temperatures soared past 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Alcaraz was just the third reigning men's champion in the Open Era taken to five sets in his first round match the next year, following Roger Federer in 2010 (against Alejandro Falla) and Bjorn Borg in 1978 (against Victor Amaya) thanks to the combination of an off-kilter start from his side and a vintage performance by the 38-year-old Fognini, who entered Wimbledon on an 11-match losing streak at tour level.

But after four sets that lasted nearly four hours, Alcaraz found a more consistent level against a fading Fognini to avoid becoming just the third reigning Wimbledon men's champion to lose his first match the following year in four hours and 38 minutes, and avoid losing in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

While Alcaraz admitted his play could've been better, he first paid deep respects to the Italian veteran 16 years his senior who reached his best ranking of No. 9 in 2019.

"To be honest, I don't know why it's his last Wimbledon, because the level he just showed, he can still play three, four more years," Alcaraz said. "I have to give him the credit of a great match. He's a great player; he has shown during his whole career the level and the talent that he has ... so I'm a little bit sad that it was his Wimbledon, but happy to have shared the court with him and the locker room with him."

Alcaraz hit 62 unforced errors in total, 35 of which came off of his forehand. The up-and-down nature of his play was evident in the middle of the match, though he neve trailed on the sets-won scoreboard. The first nine games of the match went with serve before Alcaraz won the last three in a row, and in set three, he regrouped after losing a 5-3 lead to forge ahead two-sets-to-one.

But he only hit three errors in the final set, where play was stopped for nearly 15 minutes after three games as a result of a spectator medical issue. Alcaraz had previously broken Fognini for 2-0 from 40-15 behind, and later saved two break points to lead 3-0. Out of the break, he broke again from 40-0.

"Playing the first match on Centre Court is never easy," he confessed. "I've been practicing pretty well, I've been playing on grass pretty well, but Wimbledon is special. It's different. I could feel the difference between Wimbledon and the other tournaments. I just tried to play my best ... but I will say I could be better, I have to improve. In general, I think it was a great match."

Alcaraz is now 14-1 in five set matches in his career, a mark which includes the nearly five-and-a-half hour epic he won against Jannik Sinner earlier this month to triumph at Roland Garros.

After topping a veteran, Alcaraz will next face a relative unknown quantity in the form of British qualifier Oliver Tarvet. A rising senior at the University of San Diego ranked outside the Top 700, the 21-year-old beat Swiss Leandro Riedi 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to earn victory on his major debut.

"I just saw his name when he qualified for the first time," Alcaraz said. "I think he's playing in college right now and is playing great tennis on grass. If he's in the second round, he has a great level, so I be focused on that and will try to put my best tennis on the match. I will try to improve the things that didn't work today ... and to keep enjoying being in Wimbledon."