Wimbledon 2025: Alcaraz offers water to unwell spectator as mercury hits record high on opening day (WATCH)
Synopsis
Amidst soaring temperatures at Wimbledon 2025, Carlos Alcaraz displayed a heartwarming gesture by offering water to an unwell spectator. This occurred during his challenging five-set victory against Fabio Fognini.
The World No.2 and Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz’s heartwarming gesture was on display as he offered a bottle of water to an unwell spectator during his first round against Fabio Fognini of Italy at Wimbledon 2025 on Monday, June 30.
The opening day of the third Grand Slam of the year has been marred by temperatures soaring high, with the mercury hitting a record high at the All England Club. For the first time in 147 years of Wimbledon Championships, the opening day of the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam tournament saw the temperature hitting above 30 degrees Celsius on the opening day, surpassing the previous record of 29.1 degrees Celsius in 2001.
Over the last few days, London, where Wimbledon is taking place, has been grappling with extreme weather conditions and a heatwave, which has led to rising summer temperatures and increasingly challenging conditions for outdoor events like the grass-court Grand Slam tournament.
Spectator falls ill amid rising temperatures in London
During the first round of the men’s singles between Carlos Alcaraz andFabio Fognini, a spectator suddenly fell ill, seemingly due to the sweltering heat. The incident took place when Alcaraz was leading 0-3 against Fognini in the decider, and abruptly, a spectator in the crowd at the Centre Court collapsed, prompting a brief halt in play.
With a strong presence of mind and empathy, Carlos Alcaraz took a bottle of water from a ball girl and immediately offered it to the spectator, who was being attended by other spectators and security in the stands. The Spaniard’s compassionate gesture drew applause from the crowd, and the match was suspended for a while.
The video of Alcaraz’s heartwarming gesture went viral on social media.
According to Reuters, the opening day of Wimbledon 2025 was expected to witness the temperature in the mid-30s after a hot weekend, with players, organisers, and ticket holders facing a challenging day.
As the temperature was expected to hit an all-time high on the opening day of Wimbledon 2025, the All England Club has decided to introduce 10-minute cooling breaks for the players between sets, allowing them to recover, dehydrate, and manage their core body temperature in extreme conditions.
Carlos Alcaraz overcomes a tough challenge from Fabio Fogini
Meanwhile, the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz had to fight hard in order to secure a victory over the retiring Italian tennis player Fabio Fognini in the first round of Wimbledon 2025. Alcaraz advanced to the second round with a five-set win - 7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 over Fognini.
The Spaniard clinched the opening set to kickstart his quest for the Wimbledon title defence before the Italian star made a comeback with a hard-fought win in the second set. Then, Carlos Alcaraz took a 2-1 lead with a gritty performance in the third set, showing his composure and mental toughness under pressure.
However, Fabio Fognini was showing no sign of slowing down as he produced a vintage performance in the fourth set to level the match and force a decider, much to the delight of the crowd at the Centre Court. Carlos Alcaraz, once again, showed extraordinary resilience and championship spirit in the final set, as he took a 3-0 lead before the match was halted due to a spectator collapsing in the stands. After the brief interruption, Alcaraz maintained his focus and eventually sealed his place in the second round with a final-set win.
Carlos Alcaraz will now quest for his third successive Wimbledon title in the second round, where he will meet local player Oliver Tarvet, who defeated Leandro Riedi in the first round.