Wimbledon Is Not An Easy Tournament, Even For The Seeds

LONDON, MONDAY – Like receiving a beautiful new car but having to learn how to drive it, that is what playing in the first round of Wimbledon feels like. Regardless of a player's track record, Wimbledon is a tournament that presents both concrete and intangible challenges.

The men's singles champion for the past two years, Carlos Alcaraz, was one of those who faced difficulties during the first round at the Main Court of the All England Club, London, England, on Monday (30/6/2025). Facing the 38-year-old player who was participating in his last Wimbledon, Fabio Fognini, Alcaraz had to overcome him in a match lasting four hours and 37 minutes. Alcaraz won with a score of 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1.

Alcaraz is actually no stranger to the Main Court of the All England Club. Since his debut at Wimbledon in 2019, Alcaraz has played on the Main Court 12 times before facing Fognini.

Fognini, who is playing at Wimbledon for the 15th time since 2007, has only experienced two appearances on Centre Court, namely when he lost to Roger Federer in the second round in 2012 and when he was eliminated by Andy Murray five years later.

However, as every athlete experiences, going through the first round of a championship is a challenge that is no less significant than competing in the final. They must readjust to the court, the ball, and the stadium atmosphere. This does not even include technical factors, such as when a player is unable to perform at their best or when an opponent plays tough.

"Playing the first round on Centre Court is never easy, including in other tournaments. Moreover, this is Wimbledon, a very special tournament. I can feel the difference in atmosphere between Wimbledon and other events. In the match earlier, I tried to manage my nerves as best as I could," said Alcaraz.

Wimbledon holds a different value in the eyes of tennis players. Although it is on the same level as the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open, Wimbledon is considered more prestigious because it is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. Moreover, the championship, which has been held since 1877, maintains various traditions to this day, such as the all-white attire that athletes must wear. The terms "gentleman" and "ladies" are used for male and female athletes, instead of the words "men" and "women."

The feeling of nervousness and the "magical" atmosphere experienced at the Main Court of the All England Club is what prevented Alcaraz from performing at his best, despite having good preparation. After winning another Grand Slam title, the French Open, he triumphed in the grass court tournament that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon, the ATP 500 London. However, good preparation and training do not always yield positive results during the match.

On the technical side, Alcaraz struggled to overcome his poor serve. He committed nine double faults, four of them in the first set.

Across the court, Fognini can provide a tough challenge. Alcaraz even did not expect to play a five-set match in the first round.

Although he never made it past the third round at Wimbledon, Fognini used his experience to face Alcaraz. He tried to get quick points from serve and volley. This method is quite effective for winning points on grass courts that bounce very fast. Moments after launching a serve as hard as possible and Alcaraz could not return it properly, Fognini went to the net to make a winner.

The Italian tennis player's ability to play for more than four hours received appreciation from the audience as well as from Alcaraz. The Spanish player requested the audience to applaud Fognini after his final match at Wimbledon. Fognini was seen crying on the sidelines and in the players' locker room.

Through his 13th victory out of 14 matches in five sets at the Grand Slam arena, Alcaraz advanced to the second round to face local player Oliver Target, who qualified through the preliminary rounds. The 21-year-old player is active in university-level tournaments and competes on behalf of the University of San Diego. In the world rankings, he is positioned at 733rd.

"My game needs to evolve in the next round," said Alcaraz, evaluating his performance from the first round against Target, who will be supported by the home crowd.

When Alcaraz, the second seed, managed to save himself from the difficulties of the first round, many seeds became "victims." In the men's singles competition, those who only appeared in one round include Holger Rune (eighth seed), Daniil Medvedev (ninth), Francisco Cerundolo (sixteenth), and Stefanos Tsitsipas (twenty-seventh).

The "victims" of the first round of the women's singles on the opening day were Paula Badosa (9) and Jelena Ostapenko (20). The finalist of Wimbledon 2022 and 2023, Ons Jabeur, was also eliminated. She was unable to complete the match against Viktoria Tomova and withdrew while trailing 6-7 (5), 0-2 due to breathing difficulties.

"I did not expect my condition to be poor because I had been training well in the past few days. My confidence and efforts to push myself to continue competing did not help. This is disappointing," said Jabeur.

The defending champion in women's singles, Barbora Krejcikova, will begin her appearance on Tuesday against Filipino player, Alexandra Eala. Krejcikova is not in optimal condition due to a right thigh injury sustained last week. Additionally, she has just started her 2025 competition season in May.

On the other hand, Eala will compete after playing her first final on the WTA Tour level when she appeared at the WTA 250 Eastbourne last weekend. However, the 20-year-old failed to capitalize on a match point against Maya Joint.

Another tennis player who will compete on Tuesday is the French Open women's singles champion, Cori Gauff; the world number one in men's singles, Jannik Sinner; and seven-time Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic.

Unlike usual, when Wimbledon is known as a Grand Slam often interrupted by rain, the opening day of the 2025 tournament took place in hot weather.

Temperatures of around 33-34 degrees Celsius made it difficult for tennis players, spectators and court officials to cope. Spectators at Alcaraz's match against Fognini and a ball girl at another match were treated for dizziness.

Tennis players are actually accustomed to hot weather during Grand Slam events. The Australian Open, held at Melbourne Park every January, is known for its extreme heat, with temperatures reaching the 40s degrees Celsius. The US Open in New York has also experienced such temperatures, although not as intensely as in Melbourne.

However, the heat at Wimbledon is a condition that is very rarely experienced, especially since London is better known as a rainy city. Temperatures of 33-34 degrees Celsius on the opening day are expected to continue into the second day. This figure is close to the record high temperature of 35.7 degrees Celsius at Wimbledon in 2015, specifically on July 1.

"It is very difficult to compete in weather like this. This is the first time I have played on grass in such hot conditions that my feet feel hard to move. I am sweating a lot to the point that my racket feels slippery. I believe the spectators are experiencing the same difficulties," said Germany's women's singles player, Eva Lys.

Lys strives to persevere with the mindset that her opponent is facing similar difficulties. She won against Yuan Yue with a score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. (AFP/AP/Reuters)