Carlos Alcaraz put on notice by John McEnroe after Novak Djokovic comments

John McEnroe has issued a warning to Carlos Acaraz after his first-round win at Wimbledon. The two-time defending champion Alcaraz was surprisingly pushed to five sets (7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1) on Centre Court against world No. 138 Fabio Fognini.

The 22-year-old extended his win streak to 19 matches following his recent victories at the French Open and Queen's. However, Alcaraz faced unexpected challenges in his clash with Fognini. He will undoubtedly want to improve upon his display, especially given Novak Djokovic's determination to win his 25th Grand Slam and equal Roger Federer's record eight Wimbledon titles. Alcaraz's opening performance prompted concern from tennis legend McEnroe, who described the match as a "wake-up call" for the reigning champion. "That's one of the most interesting first-round matches I can recall off the top of my head here at Wimbledon," McEnroe said on the BBC. "I think the conditions helped that to some degree."

While praising aspects of Fognini's game, McEnroe's main concern was the manner of Alcaraz's performance. The three-time Wimbledon champion added: "Carlos looked like he was flat as a pancake. Why? I don't know. Perhaps he assumed Fognini would fall away pretty easily. His serve was off. His forehand was off.

"For me to see him play like that was surprising but I have to give Fognini credit. But he was up a set and 4-2. He should have won the second set. He was up in the third and barely pulled that set out. He got blown out in the fourth. It's a good wake-up call for him. He won Queen's. Everything is perfect, same as last year.

"He wins the French, pulls out an incredible match, goes and parties in Ibiza, comes to Queen's, almost loses early but wins it, so the prep is pretty similar and the results you would expect to be similar. But he has some work to do."

Alcaraz falling below his usual impeccable standards was unexpected, but the pundit suggested it may have come at the right time. In the event that the Spaniard does struggle to replicate his previous high standards, seven-time champion Djokovic has admitted Wimbledon is a prime opportunity for him to win an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam singles title.

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"I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play at Wimbledon, just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform the best tennis at the highest level," Djokovic explained in a press conference.

"This year I played two semi-finals. Unfortunately in Australia I had to retire. In Roland Garros I was outplayed by Sinner. I think I still played a decent level of tennis that showed me that I can still play on a very high level at the later stages.

"That's what is also giving me an extra, I guess motivation to keep going. Obviously clay court, yeah, probably slightly less chances to win compared to grass."

Djokovic has lost the last two Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz, but still leads 5-3 in their head-to-head record. The pair were given the honour of being the first players to practice on Centre Court at the All England Club ahead of the tournament and there was clear mutual respect between them.

After Djokovic described it as a privilege to practice with the Wimbledon champion, Alcaraz responded: "He said he was privileged to play this year because of me, because I was defending champion, but that was a big lie. I'm privileged to play with a seven-time champion here, it's crazy what he has done. Not only on grass but it's a privilege."

However, Djokovic couldn't resist replying with a joke. "I'm looking for a little bit more respect from him," he said. "He's talking about respect but the last two years he didn't give me the respect on this court."