Fabio Fognini announces his retirement at Wimbledon after a first-round loss to Carlos Alcaraz

LONDON (AP) — Former top-10 player Fabio Fognini announced his retirement from professional tennis on Wednesday at Wimbledon, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in a five-setter on Day 1 of the tournament last week.

The 38-year-old Italian pushed two-time defending champion Alcaraz for more than 4 1/2 hours before coming out on the wrong end of the 7-5, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 score in the fortnight's first match at Centre Court.

That extended Fognini's losing streak to 10 consecutive tour-level matches, including an 0-7 record in 2025. He previously had said he would finish his career at the end of this season, but held a news conference at the All England Club on Wednesday to say he won't compete again.

“It’s hard to say what I will do now. I want to enjoy the summer with my family. That’s what I want more than anything right now. And then, what happens, happens,” Fognini said. “I’m happy. I lived some indescribable moments. Tennis gave me a lot. It gave me everything.”

Fognini is the husband of 2015 U.S. Open champion Flavia Pennetta. She famously won that title at age 33, by beating childhood friend Roberta Vinci, then surprised everyone watching by saying on court that her retirement would happen later that year.

After the match against Alcaraz, Fognini asked for one of the Spaniard's shirts as a gift for the oldest of his and Pennetta's three children. When he got to the locker room afterward, Fognini said, he got a standing ovation from other players.

“There are things that mean more than a victory or a defeat,” he said. “And (exiting) at that court, in front of my family, is worth more than any title.”

A self-described hothead, Fognini was well-known for some outlandish on-court behavior that repeatedly resulted in fines.

He was docked $3,000 at Wimbledon in 2019 for saying during a match that he wished “a bomb would explode at the club” and a then-record $27,500 in 2014 for a series of outbursts. He was put on a two-year probation by the Grand Slam Board in 2017 after insulting a female chair umpire at the U.S. Open and getting kicked out of that tournament's doubles event.

During the Italian-language portion of Wednesday's news conference, Fognini told reporters from his country he wished he hadn’t clashed with them so often over the years.

This was the 63rd Grand Slam event for Fognini, whose best result was getting to the quarterfinals at the 2011 French Open, although he didn’t play in that round there because of an injured thigh, allowing his opponent, Novak Djokovic, to advance.

Fognini leaves the sport with nine tour singles titles, the last at Monte Carlo in 2019. Later that year, he reached No. 9 in the ATP rankings, the first man from Italy in the top 10 since 1979. In doubles, Fognini also got to No. 7 and won eight titles.

He was ranked 138th in singles before Wimbledon.

“I did this job for 20 years,” Fognini said, “and I don't know how to do anything else.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Fabio Fognini of Italy smiles after touching the net and losing the point as he plays Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Fabio Fognini of Italy returns to Carlos Alcaraz of Spain during their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Fabio Fognini of Italy waves as he leaves the court after losing his men's singles first round match against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain was delayed at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, left, greets Fabio Fognini of Italy at the net after winning their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Monday, June 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)