It’s doubtful Carlos Alcaraz will need to be told. If the effervescent, at times mesmerising, 22-year-old Spaniard wants to claim his third consecutive Wimbledon title, he’ll have to play a damn sight better than he did here on day one.

Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz needed to go through more than 4 1/2 hours of back-and-forth shifts against a much-older and much-less-accomplished Fabio Fognini at Centre Court before emerging with a 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 victory in the first round of Wimbledon on Monday.