Having won the past two editions of Wimbledon, you might imagine Carlos Alcaraz is well versed in what it takes to be a serial winner at the All England Club. But navigating a first-round scare has long been a rite of passage for the tournament’s greatest champions, and on Monday it was the 22-year-old Spaniard’s turn to enter the crucible.
Alcaraz has enjoyed a triumphant start to the summer, retaining his French Open title with an epic five-set win over Jannik Sinner before transitioning smoothly from Parisian clay to English grass to claim a second victory in three years at Queen’s Club. But a first-round meeting with Fabio Fognini was never likely to be a straightforward assignment, even allowing for the fact that the gifted Italian arrived at Wimbledon without a main-draw win at tour level this season, and Alcaraz was aware from the outset that it could be a challenging afternoon.
“I knew at the beginning it was going to be very difficult playing against Fabio,” said Alcaraz after claiming a 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory in blistering heat. “It doesn’t matter, his last year, his last tournaments, the talent that Fabio has is immense. In every match he can show his best tennis.”
For four hours and 37 minutes, Fognini did just that, delving deep into the box of tricks that once earned him a place in the world’s top 10. He ran, he hustled, he harried. He flicked forehands to every corner of the court, often at full stretch and always with no discernible sign of effort. He knifed backhands loaded with slice and sidespin to Alcaraz’s forehand, forcing the Spaniard to pick the ball off his shoelaces. At one point he even turned southpaw, almost catching the champion off guard with a lunging left-handed forehand.
Fognini is 38 now and he has indicated this will be his final season on tour. Wimbledon has never been the happiest of hunting grounds – this was his 15th visit and he has never been beyond round three – but what a swansong it was. So good, in fact, that the Italian said afterwards it might even have been the last match of his career. If so, he went out on a high.
That Alcaraz emerged unscathed was down to a combination of resilience, rapidly accumulated experience, and the sheer breadth of his options. He struggled with his serve, particularly early on, and made a whopping 62 unforced errors. But there are so many weapons in the Spaniard’s arsenal that even when one element of his game is misfiring – and at one point or another he stuttered in just about every area against Fognini – there is always something else to fall back on. Not least the extraordinary tenacity that also got him over the line against Sinner at Roland Garros earlier this month.
“I’m getting mature and I know how to deal with some situations,” said Alcaraz, who has been beaten just once in the 15 five-set matches he has contested so far in his career. “I always say that the champions always find a way. I really want to see myself in that [list] of champions. I really want to put myself like a champion that always finds a way to win.
“I’ve been playing really, really tough matches the last year, the last year in this tournament. Just really proud that I always find a way. Today I did it, even though Fabio was playing great tennis. Just really proud to overcome the problem, to overcome the tough moments.”
Alcaraz’s epic win puts him in distinguished company. Roger Federer memorably fought back from two sets to love down against Alejandro Falla in 2010, while Pete Sampras held firm in the fifth set against Britain’s Barry Cowan in 2001. Going further back, Bjorn Borg pulled off several Houdini-like acts of escapology during his run of five straight titles, overcoming a two-set deficit against Mark Edmondson in 1977, recovering from two sets to one down against Victor Amaya the following year, and overturning a similar deficit against Vijay Amritraj in 1979.
Even after winning two titles in SW19, Alcaraz has a way to go before matching that trio – between them, Federer, Sampras and Borg were crowned champions on no fewer than 19 occasions – but this will nonetheless go down as a worthy addition to the catalogue of great escapes. Amid all his achievements – five majors, seven Masters 1000 titles, youngest world No 1 in rankings history, the list goes on – it is easy to forget that the Spaniard is still a relative newcomer to the tournament. This year marks his fifth visit, and against Fognini he was opening the Centre Court programme as defending champion for only the second time. Understandably, there were nerves.
“It feels like it was the first time,” said Alcaraz, who has now won his past 19 matches. “It doesn’t matter, the winning streak that I have right now, that I’ve been playing great on grass, that I have been preparing really well the week before. Wimbledon is different.
“I could feel today that I was really nervous at the beginning. Being the first match on Centre Court, it’s a huge privilege for me. Even though I played the first match last year, it feels [like] the first time. I just try to deal with the nerves the best way possible.”
Alcaraz can draw comfort from the knowledge that he is not alone. In weathering an early storm on the Centre Court grass, he has trodden a path familiar to many a past champion; few would be surprised if it led him to a third title.