I felt like it was my first time at Wimbledon," admits Alcaraz, who narrowly defeated Fognini in the first round
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz began his campaign for a third title with a hard-fought victory (7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1) against Fabio Fognini, aged 38 and ranked 155th in the world.
Despite being unbeaten since the Rome Masters 1000, the world No. 2 admitted in a press conference that he felt very nervous during this opening match:
"I knew from the start that playing Fabio would be complicated. I know it’s his last year, his final tournaments. But that doesn’t matter because he has immense talent. In every match, he’s capable of playing his best tennis, and that was the case today. I’m very proud to have found the solution and given myself a chance to improve in the next round. [...]
I felt like it was my first time at Wimbledon. It’s a different tournament. No matter my winning streak, my level on grass, or my preparation—Wimbledon is different. At the beginning, I was very nervous. It’s a real honor to open play on Centre Court, so it felt like a first time. I tried to manage my nerves as best as I could, but I struggled.
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