Day 1 (Monday, June 30) of Wimbledon 2025 entertained fans with plenty of thrilling matches. Carlos Alcaraz and Fabio Fognini’s showdown went the distance, with the two-time defending champion sneaking past the veteran in five sets.
Top-10 players Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev, and Paula Badosa were all sent packing in the first round. However, not all matches proceeded without a hitch. There were a few moments of controversy, both on and off the court, on the first day of the tournament.
Here’s a look at the moments that caused a commotion on Day 1 of Wimbledon 2025:
#1. Taylor Fritz left frustrated as the curfew and his opponent brought a halt to his Wimbledon comeback
Taylor Fritz found himself on the back foot after losing the first two sets during his opening-round contest against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. He kept himself in contention after taking the third set, and fought from 5-1 down in the fourth-set tie-break to level the match at two sets apiece.
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Wimbledon's curfew rules meant that all play for the day would stop at 11:00 p.m. sharp. With that in mind, a tournament official arrived on the court at 10:18 p.m. to inform them of the same. The match was suspended despite 40 minutes left for the curfew to kick in.
Fritz lost his cool at this and pushed for the match to continue, though he was helpless to do anything in the matter. He later took to social media to clarify that if Mpetshi Perricard wanted to, then the match could've continued. Consent of both players was required in this matter.
Fritz had momentum on his side, and with each of the preceding four sets lasting around 45 minutes on average, they could've wrapped up the match or played a few games at the very least. They will resume their showdown on Tuesday, July 1.
#2. Holger Rune slammed for his comments after his R1 exit
Eighth seed Holger Rune was on the cusp of victory against qualifier Nicolas Jarry during their first-round match. The Dane was cruising along smoothly after taking the first two sets and remained on even terms with his opponent in the third set.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Jarry mounted an incredible comeback to beat Rune 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. The 22-year-old later remarked during his post-match conference that if he was at his best physically, then he would dominate this match-up nine times out of ten.
"In normal conditions I would win 9 of 10 matches against him (Jarry)", Rune said.
Fans weren't too pleased with this take and took to social media to chastise Rune for his comments. His comments come in the wake of Aryna Sabalenka's remarks against Coco Gauff after losing the French Open final against her, though they now seem to be on friendly terms.
#3. Yulia Putintseva left fearing for her safety due to a fan's suspicious behavior
Yulia Putintseva's first-round encounter against Amanda Anisimova was overshadowed by security concerns. During the change of ends at 3-0 in the first set, the Kazakh complained to the umpire about a "crazy" and "dangerous" spectator. She then refused to play until the spectator in question was escorted out.
"Can you take him out, I am not going to continue playing until he leaves. These people are dangerous, they are crazy," Putintseva complained.
The umpire addressed her concerns with the security staff. When Putintseva was informed that they would continue playing, she put her foot down and wanted the fan to be kicked out.
"Take him out, because maybe he has a knife," she said.
The tournament organizers stated to BBC Sport regarding the matter, stating that the player's concern was dealt with swiftly.
"Following a complaint about the behaviour of a spectator at the match on court 15, the chair umpire informed security and the matter was dealt with," - statement from the officials.
Putintseva eventually lost the match 6-0, 6-0 in 45 minutes, a far cry from her upset win over Iga Swiatek to reach the fourth round last year. She didn't engage with the press following the loss.
#4. Fans air out their frustrations over commentators' single-minded focus on Emma Raducanu
Emma Raducanu scored a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 win over 17-year-old Mingge Xu to begin her Wimbledon campaign on a strong note. While fans were pleased with the former US Open champion's performance, they were irked by the commentators completely ignoring the teenager.
This was Xu's Grand Slam debut. Despite the loss, she gave a good account of herself. However, the commentators barely gave her any credit when she made a good shot. Furthermore, their incessant and repeated praise of Raducanu with the same statements got stale, adding to the fans' annoyance.
#5. Nick Kyrgios spotted in Naomi Osaka's player box
Naomi Osaka beat Talia Gibson 6-4, 7-6 (4) to begin her campaign at Wimbledon with a win. Watching her from the sidelines was Nick Kyrgios, who is missing the tournament due to an injury. He was also given the boot from his commentating gig by the BBC.
Osaka was later told about Kyrgios' presence during her post-match conference. She didn't notice him while she was playing and expressed her thoughts on his appearance.
"I jokingly told someone, ‘Hey, I know Nick’s around. Maybe he wants to come to my match.’ But I was joking. Because I know we’re like 2 completely different players. Honestly I would’ve loved to come to his matches because I know he’s pretty fun. I think that’s also a big part of why we’re different. I know he kind of tells his box what to do and he probably would’ve noticed if I was in there, and I kind of like zone out most of the time. That’s a little embarrassing that he was there. But yeah, I guess it was cool that he was there," Osaka said.
Osaka and Kyrgios are good friends, though fans have a different perspective on their friendship. The latter's controversial statements and antics often make him a persona non grata, so they would prefer if the four-time Major champion kept her distance from him as well.
