Fabio Fognini delivered a remarkable performance at Wimbledon on Monday against Carlos Alcaraz, prompting the 38-year-old to contemplate ending his tennis career. The nine-time ATP Tour singles champion had previously announced that this would be his final season and last appearance at Wimbledon. However, after pushing the second seed to five sets on Centre Court, he is considering retiring from the sport on a high note.
“I think this probably [the] best way to say [goodbye] to Wimbledon, and maybe for the tennis. That’s what I’m thinking now,” Fognini stated. “I am happy for sure. I have a lot of emotion coming to my mind. Yes, was super amazing atmosphere over there. I enjoyed [it] a lot.”
Known for expressing his emotions openly on the court, Fognini shared how much the moment meant to him. “I have to be honest, I cried in the locker room. I cried,” he admitted. “I didn’t expect [to] play five sets against him… The way I was coming here, I [had] no expectation because since I started the year this year, after the injury, I was playing really bad.”
Alcaraz has now achieved a personal-best 19 consecutive match wins but faced significant challenges during his encounter with Fognini. The Italian player came close to defeating Alcaraz at SW19.
“To finish here, I can’t ask a better way,” Fognini remarked about his performance despite missing some opportunities during the match’s critical moments.
Fognini entered this match following a 10-match tour-level losing streak and demonstrated that he could still compete with top players when performing at his best.
“I was looking good, I think… if we make an analysis of the match… This is probably…the worst game when I was up with my serve,” Fognini reflected on his performance throughout different stages of the match.
The emotional significance of potentially concluding his career after such an intense battle adds weight to Fognini’s decision-making process regarding retirement from professional tennis.