John McEnroe tells Wimbledon star to retire immediately after talking to his wife

John McEnroe wants Fabio Fognini to retire following his spirited defeat to Carlos Alcaraz on Monday. The Italian is in the midst of his final season as a professional and McEnroe thinks that his last outing at Wimbledon would be the perfect note on which to end his career.

Fognini twice battled back from behind to force a fifth and deciding set against second seed Alcaraz. Despite not having notched a tour-level win this calendar year, the veteran gave the reigning champion an almighty scare and forced him to dig deep in sweltering conditions.

The Centre Court crowd rallied behind Fognini as he bowed out on his final appearance at the All England Club in a blaze of eye-catching trickshots, feel-good exchanges with his opponent and roars of approval from the stands.

McEnroe explained that he feels even more strongly about the time being right for Fognini to call it a day after speaking to the 38-year-old's wife, Flavia Pennetta, during a recent seniors event. Pennetta retired a decade ago and, according to McEnroe, she is ready for Fognini to step away from the tour and spend more time with the family.

"This was the perfect ending for Fognini," the American told the BBC. "Luckily for Alcaraz, towards the end of the fourth set, the crowd realised that Fognini was playing unbelievable. Carlos looked more tired than Fognini even though there's a 16-year age gap! What in the hell is going on here?

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"So the crowd started rallying behind Alcaraz and that picked him up a little bit. I almost hope that [Fognini] doesn't play anymore because I'm not sure he can play any better than that.

"I played Flavio Panetta in seniors mixed doubles at the French [Open] and she thinks it's time for Fabio to be at home more with the kids. I think she is ready for her husband to be home more."

Alcaraz paid a touching tribute to Fognini during his post-match interview, but unlike McEnroe, he questioned his decision to retire off the back of his exciting first-round display.

But Fognini hinted that his mind may already be made up, saying: "It's tough for me to speak, believe me. But, yeah, I think this is probably the best way to say [goodbye] to Wimbledon, and maybe to tennis. That's what I'm thinking now. I am happy, for sure. I have a lot of emotions coming to my mind."

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