Carlos Alcaraz's true colours clear for all to see with comment to John McEnroe in the gym

John McEnroe has told a touching story about Carlos Alcaraz that revealed the Spaniard's true colours. Alcaraz's defence of his Wimbledon title got off to a far more difficult start than he would have anticipated against Fabio Fognini on Monday.

The 22-year-old had to dig deep in SW19's searing temperatures to beat the 38-year-old veteran, winning 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 2-6 6-1. The dramatic spectacle lasted 4hr 37min on-court and extended Alcaraz's winning streak to 19 matches. He quickly sealed the win after a 15-minute break in the deciding set, which came after a spectator who had been sitting in the sun was taken ill. Alcaraz went over with a bottle of cold water to help their recovery, which, along with his incredible ability to put on a show for the crowd, was a reminder of why the world No. 2 is such a fan-favourite on tour.

And during the contest, tennis legend McEnroe chimed in with an anecdote of his own involving the Murcian from the recent French Open, where Alcaraz came back to defeat Jannik Sinner in the final in an instant classic.

Wimbledon commentator McEnroe said: "He's a great young kid. I'll tell you a quick thing. At the French [Open], I go into the players' gym because the second week us old fogies get to play a few matches. I was just trying to break a sweat on the bike and he's right next to me and he's like, 'Oh my God, you look great!'

"I'm like, 'How old's your father?' and he says 54. I go, 'I'm 66' and he goes, 'Oh my God, you look like you're 40!' Did he need to say that? No. Was I happy he said it? It pretty much made my week, to be honest.

"He's got a way of just knowing what to say. Even then you saw it in his post match interview - he says the right thing without even having to think about it."

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Alcaraz claimed the fifth Grand Slam title of his career at the French Open earlier this month before lifting the Queen's Club trophy on his return to the British grass, where he has won the two previous editions at Wimbledon.

Alcaraz roared in relief when he finally ended Fognini's resistance, breaking into a smile and sharing a friendly embrace with his opponent. He showed his class by quickly directing the crowd to applaud Fognini, who was given a heartfelt ovation before flinging his shoes into the crowd.

The Spaniard also paid a touching tribute to Fognini during his post-match interview and, unlike McEnroe, questioned the Italian's decision to retire off the back of his thrilling first-round performance.

Alcaraz's hard-earned victory sets up a meeting with 21-year-old British qualifier Oliver Tarvet in the second round. Tarvet beat Switzerland's Leandro Riedi on his Wimbledon debut.