Moments after 4-hour marathon Wimbledon battle, Carlos Alcaraz makes Fabio Fognini happy by accepting adorable request for his son Federico

Carlos Alcaraz and Fabio Fognini stole the show on the opening day of the All England Championships in a thrilling five-setter where the reigning champion remained triumphant.

The crowd at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club witnessed several upsets in the gentlemen's singles, where eighth and ninth seeds, Holger Rune and Daniil Medvedev, made shock exits in the first round. On the other hand, it was fairly straightforward in the ladies' singles with the usual heavy-hitters, such as Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys, coasting through without breaking a sweat.

Two-time defending champion and recent Roland Garros winner, Carlos Alcaraz, prevailed against a 38-year-old Italian Fabio Fognini, who was in his final Wimbledon outing ever, in an epic five-set clash that lasted over four hours.

The Spaniard who was recently crowned victor at the Queen's Club Championships in London was always favourite to go through, despite him insisting that the Italian would make for a very tricky opening encounter.

"Fabio is a very talented player, he always provides great moments, good shots, good points. The early rounds can be dangerous, so we have to be really focused, play our best level and enjoy ourselves,” said Alcaraz ahead of his encounter with the 38-year-old (via ATP).

Though the 22-year-old was shaky and starkly unlike his usual self, he had just enough in the locker to see past the 38-year-old in his farewell game on Centre Court at SW19. The epic first-round encounter lasted four hours and 37 minutes, with Alcaraz triumphing 7-5, 6(5)-7, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 against the Italian to set up a second-round clash with British debutante, 21-year-old Oliver Tarvet.

As Fognini was savouring his final moments as a player at the All England Championships, the crowd saw a beautiful moment as the Italian, whose son is a huge fan of Alcaraz, asked his opponent for his shirt to take home for his boy, Federico.

"Charly, I want your shirt for Federico," said the Italian (via X).

The 38-year-old, despite his loss, put up a great fight against the reigning champion in his final match at Wimbledon.

Medical emergency sees Carlos Alcaraz vs Fabio Fognini encounter paused

Carlos Alcaraz after his win against Fognini | Getty Images

In a gruelling five-setter where the reigning Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, prevailed over Fabio Fognini, the match was suddenly stopped in the fifth set as the Spaniard led 3-0.

The match was paused as a spectator in the stands seemed to require medical assistance, possibly due to the heat, with Alcaraz himself running across court to give the person a bottle of water.

The opening day of the 2025 All England Championships witnessed a temperature of 90.1°F (32.3°C), the highest it has ever been on the opening day of an edition of Wimbledon.