Carlos Alcaraz is set to begin his Wimbledon title defence with a Round One clash against Fabio Fognini on Monday.
Coming off the back of his French Open win, the 22-year-old will be hoping to claim his third successive title at the All-England Club.
Were he to do so, Alcaraz would become the first Spaniard to win Wimbledon three times.
Suffer defeat, however, and Alcaraz would instead accomplish a piece of unwanted history that hasn’t been achieved since 2003.
Carlos Alcaraz could become the first men’s defending champion since Lleyton Hewitt to lose in the opening round of Wimbledon
In 2002, Lleyton Hewitt stormed his way to his one and only Wimbledon title, beating Argentine David Nalbandian 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in the final.
Returning to Centre Court to defend his crown in 2003, the Australian was handed a draw against the big-serving Ivo Karlovic.
After winning a comfortable opening set 6-1, Hewitt appeared to be on track for a good opening defence of his crown.
Yet it all went downhill for the Australian as Karlovic, who was making his Grand Slam debut, roared back to take the next three sets 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
It meant that Hewitt became the first men’s defending champion in the Open Era to lose in the opening round at Wimbledon.
That feat hasn’t been repeated in the years since, meaning at Wimbledon 2025, Alcaraz would become the first male defending champion since Hewitt to lose in the first round, should Fognini spring a surprise.
Comparing Carlos Alcaraz’s and Fabio Fognini’s records in 2025
To achieve this, however, the Italian will need to improve dramatically on the form he has shown in 2025.
Across 11 matches on the ATP Tour so far this season, Fognini has only won twice.
Currently ranked 130th in the world, the 37-year-old is therefore arriving at Wimbledon in markedly different shape to his Spanish opponent.
After Alcaraz won at Queen’s, he extended his winning streak to 18 matches.
Moreover, he has beaten Fognini twice in the two matches they have played against each other.
Having not lost at Wimbledon since a 2022 defeat to Jannik Sinner, the Spaniard is therefore an overwhelming favourite to dispatch the Italian once again, and the red-hot favourite to claim another title at SW19.