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How Carlos Alcaraz fared on his Wimbledon debut as Rafael Jodar wins first match

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Rafael Jodar swept aside home favourite Felix Gill to book his place in the Wimbledon second round.

Jodar, who was competing in his first match at Wimbledon, defeated Gill 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on Monday afternoon.

Can Rafael Jodar fill the void left by Carlos Alcaraz?

He's certainly stepped up in his absence so far…

Jodar’s victory at the major event comes five years after Carlos Alcaraz made his Wimbledon debut.

How did Alcaraz – a two-time Wimbledon champion – perform in his first-ever Wimbledon appearance?

Carlos Alcaraz won on his Wimbledon debut

Five years ago, 18-year-old Carlos Alcaraz contested a Wimbledon match for the first time.

Alcaraz, who was handed a wildcard for the event, defeated lucky loser Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 6-7, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns to Russia's Daniil Medvedev during their men's singles second round match on the fourth day of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 1, 2021.
Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

By beating Uchiyama, Alcaraz set up a clash with future US Open champion Daniil Medvedev.

Medvedev emerged victorious, beating his young opponent 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.

“The faster you go on grass, the better,” Medvedev said afterwards.

“But Carlos is an amazing player. I was surprised in the first set because I know grass is not really his surface.

“In the second and third sets maybe the gap was greater – but I’m sure he’s going to be in the top 10 soon, maybe higher.

Daniil Medvedev of Russia (R) and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain (L) congratulate each other after their men's singles second round match during Day Four of The Championships - Wimbledon 2021 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2021 in London, England.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

“I love grass. In my first four grand slams I had only one victory and it was here so Wimbledon will always be special to me.”

Alcaraz, the world number two and two-time Wimbledon champion, is not competing at this year’s event after suffering a wrist injury in April.

The Spaniard suffered the injury during his first-round match against Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open.

Alcaraz won the contest, before withdrawing from the event in its entirety.

The 23-year-old has not contested an ATP Tour match since.

Is it time to start panicking about Carlos Alcaraz?

He's out of another Grand Slam…

Rafael Jodar’s reaction after winning at Wimbledon

“It was great,” Jodar said in his post-match interview. “Playing on grass is always special, especially at Wimbledon.

“It’s one of the most prestigious tournaments. I’m super grateful to have the opportunity to play here in front of so many people. Thank you for coming and cheering for both of us.”

Ahead of the event, Jodar told reporters that he felt the grass-courts translate well to his game, despite the Spaniard’s limited experience on the surface.

Spain's Rafael Jodar celebrates winning against Britain's Felix Gill during their men's singles first round tennis match on the first day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on June 29, 2026.
Photo by Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images

This point was put to Jodar by the interviewer.

“I could feel it during the whole match. I think my game is good on this surface,” Jodar said. “Obviously I haven’t played much on it so I have to get used to it.

“That’s why I came early to Wimbledon to prepare and to have a few more days. Super happy about my performance and now I think about my next match.”

Jodar will play fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the Wimbledon second round.

Carreno Busta, a US Open semi-finalist, defeated Denis Shapovalov on Monday.