Alcaraz hailed for ‘class act’ of sportsmanship while staring at shock defeat
Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon dreams were going up in smoke in the first round - but in the midst of a crisis he showed his true colours.
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Record-breaking temperatures caused carnage on day one of the Wimbledon championships but amid the chaos Carlos Alcaraz remained cool as a cucumber.
The defending champion survived a major scare in his opener against Italian veteran Fabio Fognini before coming through in five sets to launch his bid for a third straight title at the All England Club.
It was a bleak night for Australians at the All England Club with Jordan Thompson the only survivor on a day of green and gold carnage.
Thompson triumphed in a five-set thriller, coming back from two sets down before finally overcoming Czech Vit Kopriva 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1), 6-1.
The other seven Australians in action were all eliminated.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, battled to a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 win over the 38-year-old Italian in a first-round clash lasting four hours and 37 minutes in sweltering conditions on Centre Court.
It was the first time since Roger Federer narrowly beat Alejandro Falla in 2010 that a defending champion had been taken to a fifth set in the Wimbledon first round.
And the conditions proved too much for one fan during the decisive set, who collapsed. The match had to be halted as medics rushed over to attend to the supporter.
Alcaraz was also on hand to help, sprinting over and giving a steward a bottle of water to pass on to the fan.
The person was eventually helped off the court under umbrellas held by medics. It caused a 15-minute delay to the match.
Fans praised Alcaraz for his quick thinking, with one saying: “Carlos is a class act.”
Another wrote: “Titles are just the cherry on top, I’m glad I support a good human being.”
More commented: “He’s such a genuinely good person and an exceptional ambassador for the sport.”
Aussies wiped out in first round
Alexei Popyrin was one of seven Aussies to lose their first round matches on Monday night.
The No. 20 seed was knocked out by local hope Arthur Fery 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
With a parochial crowd behind him on Court 15 the Brit recovered from a nervous moment in the third set to triumph.
Elsewhere, Chris O’Connell fell at the hands of French qualifier Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.
James Duckworth lost a five-set heartbreaker against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
In the ladies’ draw, Ajla Tomljanovic, Kimberly Birrell, Olivia Gadecki and Talia Gibson were all knocked out.
Australia has 17 players in the men’s and women’s singles draws with another nine players to take to the court on Day 2.
Alcaraz gesture leaves opponent in tears
With the crowd giving warriors Alcaraz and Fognini a standing ovation after match point, Alcaraz pointed towards Fognini.
The gesture was a clear signal for the crowd to direct their applause to his 38-year-old opponent, who has played his final Wimbledon match.
Fognini revealed in his post match press conference the kind gesture left him in tears.
According to Wimbledon Press, Fognini said: “I was really emotional to be honest.
“I cried in the locker room. Because as I said, I didn’t expect to play five sets against him.
“The way I was coming here, no expectation. Since I started the year this year after the injury, I was playing really bad. I didn’t win many matches.
“There is no better way to play in this court with a great champion that I have a lot of respect for, and for his team, because I know them very very well.”
Alcaraz shrugged off his inconsistent display including 62 unforced errors as he refused to wilt on the hottest opening day in Wimbledon history.
“First of all, I don’t know why it is probably Fabio’s last Wimbledon because the level he has shown shows he can still play for three or four more years,” Alcaraz said.
“Playing on Centre Court for the first match of any tournament is never easy. I’ve been practising pretty well and playing on grass really well, but Wimbledon is special and different.
“I could feel the difference between Wimbledon and the other tournaments. I just tried to play my best but I would say that I could play better.”
The 22-year-old secured a crucial break in the second game of the deciding set, roaring “vamos” after saving two break points in the next game.
Fognini had given Alcaraz a much sterner test than expected, but the world number 138 ran out of steam as the indefatigable Spaniard once again showcased his final set prowess.
Alcaraz has never lost in a Grand Slam first round in 18 appearances. Having vanquished Novak Djokovic in the past two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz is looking to join an elite group of Wimbledon icons.
His clay-court credentials are firmly established after he fought back from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in an epic French Open final earlier this month.
Alcaraz is equally dynamic on grass, winning 30 of his 33 Tour-level matches on the surface, with his last defeat at Wimbledon coming against Sinner in the fourth round in 2022.
He is bidding to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win at least three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and seven-time champion Djokovic.
If he achieves that target, Alcaraz would be the second-youngest player in the Open Era to win six Grand Slam men’s titles after Borg, who reached that landmark in 1978.
He will face British qualifier Oliver Tarvet in the second round. “He is playing great tennis on grass and if he is in the second round of Wimbledon then he is playing at a great level,” Alcaraz said.
“I will try to improve the things that didn’t work today, such as the return and the forehand. Let’s keep enjoying being at Wimbledon as well.”
In other headline results:
US Open champion Daniil Medvedev said he was “not panicking” after a shock first-round defeat extended his dismal Grand Slam form this year.
The Russian ninth seed lost 7-6 (7/2), 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 to France’s Benjamin Bonzi after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2023 and 2024.
Former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas, seeded 24 this year, is also gone after handing French qualifier Valentin Royera walkover.
Tsitsipas withdrew with a lower back injury after losing the first two sets 6-3 6-2.
World number eight Holger Rune also battled his body while falling in five sets to Nicolas Jarry 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
- with AFP
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