Carlos Alcaraz’s first-round opponent at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Fabio Fognini, shared what he told his son, Federico, ahead of their match. This year, Alcaraz is the double defending champion at Wimbledon, having won the title in 2023 and 2024 by defeating Novak Djokovic in the finals.
The 2025 Wimbledon Championships will be held from Jun. 30 to Jul. 13 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London.
Fabio Fognini Revealed How His Son Reacted After Learning Carlos Alcaraz Was His Opponent at Wimbledon
Most recently, Fognini competed at the 2025 Mallorca Championships, where he lost in the first round to Daniel Altmaier. Ahead of the Wimbledon Championships, he spoke to AS about how Federico reacted upon learning that Alcaraz would be his father’s opponent.
Fognini mentioned that Federico was extremely excited to learn about Alcaraz and expressed a strong desire to attend the match, as he is a big fan of the Spaniard.
“Two days ago, when the draw came out, my son called me and said, ‘Dad, see, you’re playing against Carlitos.’ And I said, ‘Yes, do you want to come?’ ‘Yes, yes, yes, I’m coming, I’m coming,’” Fognini said.
The Italian revealed that when he jokingly told Federico he couldn’t say hello to Alcaraz because he was the opponent, his son became upset and “angry.”
“And Flavia, also with the little girl, is coming to watch the game. Now, when we saw him (Alcaraz) , I told him, ‘Don’t say hello to him, because he’s my opponent tomorrow,’ and he got angry,” he continued.
First round? First class 💥
Gentlemen’s Singles defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will face Fabio Fognini on Centre Court 🤝#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/yhdqjuOBGb
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 27, 2025
The former World No. 9 noted that Federico is a fan of both Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz, making the opportunity to watch the Spaniard compete against his father a “big deal” for him.
“Along with Jannik, who’s Italian, Federico likes Carlitos the most, so I think it’s a big deal for them too. He’s eight years old and he’ll remember it, that’s the best thing I could ask for. And I get along really well with Carlitos. We’ve played twice, both in Rio and here we are,” Fognini added.
Fognini and Alcaraz have faced each other twice on the ATP Tour, both times at the Rio Open, in 2022 and 2023, with the former World No. 1 winning both matches.
“Playing Against Carlos Alcaraz Here Is Worth It” – Fabio Fognini on Facing Spaniard at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships 1R
At the aforementioned interview, Fognini remarked that facing Alcaraz in the last Wimbledon Championships of his career is a “perfect setting.”
“Last Wimbledon, with Carlitos, perfect, perfect setting. Honestly, I’m happy, because with everything I’ve done, playing against Carlitos here is worth it,” Fognini said.
The former World No. 9 stated that Alcaraz is the most “in-form” player on the Tour right now, and that is why he would have liked to compete against him later in the tournament rather than in the first round.
“Right now, he’s the most in-form player on tour; he won last time. It couldn’t have been better. Obviously, in terms of tennis and winning matches, I would have liked to play him a little later, but that’s the way it is,” he added.
Last year, at the Wimbledon Championships, Fognini secured victories against Luca Van Assche and Casper Ruud in the first and second rounds, respectively, before being eliminated by Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round.
