Carlos Alcaraz 'a bit sad' as Spaniard tells Wimbledon star he's making wrong decision

Carlos Alcaraz has questioned Fabio Fognini's decision to retire at the end of the season. Alcaraz was pushed hard by Fognini in their first-round Wimbledon showdown on Monday, with the Italian veteran showing that he can still mix it among the very biggest hitters in tennis.

Alcaraz needed all five sets to get past the 38-year-old, who has not won a tour-level match this calendar year. Fognini wowed the Centre Court crowd with glimpses of his flashiest shots, drank in the applause whenever he could, and forced his second seed opponent to dig deep in the decider.

It is deemed an open secret that this will be Fognini's last year as a professional, 21 years after making his debut. After coming through 7-5 6-7 7-5 2-6 6-1, Alcaraz wondered whether his beaten opponent should even be considering hanging up his racket.

"I don't know why it's his last Wimbledon, because the level he is playing, he can still play for three or four more years," he told the BBC. "I have to give him the credit for such a great match."

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Alcaraz also admitted that Fognini's upcoming retirement is an emotional thought. "Fabio is a great player," he added. "He has shown his level and talent over his whole career. I'm just a little bit sad that it's probably his last Wimbledon but I'm happy to have shared the court and the locker room with him, and we are going to enjoy the last of him."

From a former world No. 9 in the first round, Alcaraz is now slated to play against an amateur in the second. British world No. 719 Oliver Tarvet cannot even claim the majority of his prize money for coming through the qualifiers and winning his opening match against Leandro Riedi because he is still at college in America.

But Alcaraz refuses to take the challenge lightly. He said: "I saw his name when he qualified for the first time. He is playing in college right now and is playing great on grass. If he is in the second round then he deserves it."

On his own game, Alcaraz explained: "Playing the first match on Centre Court is not easy. I've been practicing well but Wimbledon is different from all the other grass-court tournaments. It feels different. I can be better. I have to improve and work on things that I didn't do so well."

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