LONDON – A new Wimbledon record was set: thirteen seeded players in the men’s draw lost in the first round of this year’s third Grand Slam.
The reasons? Grass is always a surface of uncertainty, though the heatwave hitting London might have also played a role.
For North American Reilly Opelka, injuries and the intense physical demands are the main reasons so many seeds failed to advance.
“Players are getting injured,” Opelka, former world No. 17, told CLAY and The Athletic.
“I was talking to Tommy (Paul) about it. Tommy got penalised for not playing Queen’s. He had a pretty serious injury at Roland Garros and couldn’t make it to Queen’s, yet he still got hit with a heavy ranking penalty. That’s why he dropped to No. 15. Because for those players, 500-level tournaments are mandatory,” he explained.
“I think a lot of guys are carrying injuries just to avoid losing their bonus or getting deductions from the bonus pool,” Opelka continued.
Stefanos Tsitsipas left London heartbroken, struggling with his back and questioning whether he should continue playing. Lorenzo Musetti wasn’t fully fit after retiring from his Roland Garros semifinal due to a left adductor injury. Holger Rune had knee issues and had to receive treatment. “Under normal conditions, I win that match nine times out of ten,” he said after losing to Nicolás Jarry, despite having a two-sets-to-love lead.
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Australian Alex Bolt believes the explanation lies in how much tighter the competition has become throughout the rankings — a topic many players have been raising recently.
“This shows how deep tennis is right now. The level is incredibly high across the board — not just inside the top 100, but also in qualifying. I feel like on a good day, anyone can beat anyone,” the world No. 179 told CLAY after his loss to Ben Shelton.
“Why doesn’t he play like this every day, win millions and be rich? No, he decides to do it once a year,” said Daniil Medvedev in frustration on court after losing in four sets to France’s Benjamin Bonzi.
The Russian, who reached the semifinals last year, will now fall to around No. 14 in the rankings.
Veteran Gael Monfils keeps showing he’s still got it, beating his fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert — eleven years younger. Humbert was the latest seeded player to fall in the first round, just as daylight was fading at the All England Club on Tuesday.
There were high expectations for Alexander Bublik after his surprise run to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. The Kazakh, who defeated Jannik Sinner en route to the title in Halle, came into Wimbledon as a dark horse.
He lost in five sets to Spain’s Jaume Munar, after serving for the match in the fourth.
Alexander Zverev is also out, as is 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini. Francisco Cerúndolo and Denis Shapovalov are gone, too.
The draw has blown wide open. Wimbledon 2025 is already full of chaos.
