The seeds are not alright
Yes, there’ve been upsets across the board—but also a lot of salt and sadness on the men’s side.
The Replay
The first week of Wimbledon certainly delivered in shock value. Only 13 of the men’s seeds and 14 of the women’s seeds made it to the third round, which finishes today.
On the men’s side, world No. 3 Alexander Zverev was sent home in the first round by Arthur Rinderknech (72), the Frenchman who’s been in better form ever since putting on a show and taking Jannik Sinner—however briefly—to 4-0 in the third set of their match at Roland Garros. Lorenzo Musetti (7), Holger Rune (8), Daniil Medvedev (9), and Francisco Cerundolo (19) were just some of the others to fall in round one, followed by surprise second-round losses from Tommy Paul (13), Frances Tiafoe (12), and Jack Draper (4). Draper, the new golden boy of British tennis, was perhaps the biggest upset of all (at least for those hoping for an instant Andy Murray redux), falling quite handily to veteran player Marin Čilić.
On the women’s side, there was only slightly less bloodshed. Despite her ranking, world No. 2 Coco Gauff going out in round one to Ukrainian player Dayana Yastremska (42) wasn’t as shocking as some made it out to be—Gauff has yet to find her game on grass, and Yastremska is notoriously tricky on the surface. More surprising was the first-round exit of world No. 3 Jessica Pegula, who just won a title on grass at Bad Homburg and was expected to make a deep run here. Was it the pre-Wimbledon tournament win curse, exhaustion from so much match play, or just a bad day at the office? That’s anyone’s guess. Qinwen Zheng (6), Paula Badosa (9), and Karolina Muchova (14) also lost right away. Then, adding to the dizzying results, was the second-round exit of last year’s finalist, Jasmine Paolini (5), and the third-round exit of Australian Open winner Madison Keys (8) to the German Laura Siegemund (22).
All of this carnage has made Wimbledon 2025 one for the history books, with the 27 seeds that made it to the third round winning the “award” for fewest seeds at a Grand Slam since the 32-seed format began in 2001.
Are Men Okay?
While the men and women shared in shock exits, it was the men whose responses to those exits stood out for being either extra salty or deeply sad, begging the age-old question: Are men okay?
Too much salt
Let’s start with the salty. While Medvedev was playing Benjamin Bonzi in the first round, he could be heard saying in French, “Why not play like this every day, win millions, be rich? No, he decides to do it once a year.” This is typical Meddy-ese, and it was innocent and entertaining. But in his press conference later that day, he took unnecessary digs that seemed a bit ego-protective. “I’m surprised if you find a match of him playing like this any other match this year,” he said, seemingly trying to write the narrative that Bonzi was just randomly redlining and his loss was a fluke, despite the Russian’s middling season. At the Halle Open a few weeks prior, he noted, he was slated to play either Bonzi or Quentin Halys, and described watching their match to prepare. “He couldn’t play two balls in a row in the court,” Medvedev said snarkily of Bonzi.
Then there was Holger Rune, who was up two sets against the Chilean Nicolás Jarry (143) before ultimately losing in five. The Dane, who has struggled with injuries and received treatment for his knee on court, could have just left it at that in the press conference. Instead, he told the press, “If I could have played normally, I would have beaten him nine times out of ten, with all due respect to Jarry.” Ah, yes, so respectful! Jarry, for what it’s worth, has gone on to beat young talents Learner Tien and João Fonseca to make it to the fourth round.
After Frances Tiafoe lost to Britain’s Cameron Norrie (61) in the second round, he dug himself a hypocritical hole by telling the press that Norrie saying “Come on!” from the first game was annoying. “That probably bothered me more than the crowd,” said Tiafoe, who’s notorious for his on-court celebrations and crowd engagement. Further upping the irony, Tiafoe then attributed much of Norrie’s win to the crowd, taking away from the Brit’s achievement. “The biggest thing was that he kept going and played better because of the crowd. I don’t think he probably plays as well if the crowd wasn’t so far behind him.” For a man who brings out his best tennis at the US Open, where the home crowd all but loses their minds for him, the digs were, at the very least, lacking in self-awareness.
But it wasn’t all bad! If anyone needs lessons on being a graceful loser (yes, even if an injury contributed to your loss), I highly recommend watching Tommy Paul’s press conference from this week. Cue Montell Jordan.
Something is not right
Beyond the mounds of salt lay something much more concerning—the continued trend of players, particularly those from the ‘90s generation, sounding burnt out and depressed. While complaints about the non-stop tennis tour have become commonplace in recent months, some of the comments from male players this past week sounded a louder alarm.
After his surprising first-round exit, Alexander Zverev put down his usual defenses and got uncharacteristically vulnerable when speaking to the press. “I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally,” said the German player, who’s struggled to find good results since losing the Australian Open final to Jannik Sinner in January. “I’m trying to find ways to…get out of this hole.” Citing loneliness off-court as well as struggles with the media (Zverev has been accused of domestic violence by two women and is far from the most beloved top player), Zverev said he would consider starting therapy. “I’ve never felt this empty before,” he said.
Stefanos Tsitsipas retired mid-match in the first round due to a chronic back injury, and afterwards, he discussed the possibility of needing to reconsider his tennis future. As someone dealing with chronic pain myself, I know the enormous toll it can take on your wellbeing, often barring you from doing the most basic things, let alone the things you love most. For an athlete, it’s got to be especially soul-crushing. “I’ve tried everything…I’ve done an incredible job with my physiotherapy, so I’ve maximized on everything I can possibly do,” Tsitsipas told reporters. “Right now, I’m just absolutely left with no answers, I don’t know what to do.” Calling it the most difficult situation he’s ever faced, the Greek player noted that he’d have to give his next steps as a player some serious thought over the next few months. “I have a limit at some point.”
The Belgian tennis player Zizou Bergs (50), who lost in the first round to Lloyd Harris (320), seemed to sum up the current bleak vibe for many players on tour perfectly when he posted his post-match thoughts on Instagram. “If you had told me as a kid that I’d one day play at Wimbledon but wouldn’t enjoy a single point, I never would have believed you. Yet, unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened,” he wrote, going on to describe the constant pressure and intensity of life on tour and how it inevitably wears players down. “Just like in any other job, you need time to reset, recharge, and return with fresh energy,” he said.
The trouble is, players on tour (men and women) really don’t get that time. As a result, they’re forced to be on week after week after week. They’re forced to play their absolute best for 11 months of the year, and when they don’t, they’re bashed by internet trolls and even, at times, legitimate commentators and press. They’re forced to play through injuries so that they don’t lose points or receive fines for skipping mandatory tournaments, further worsening those injuries. In short, they’re given no time to breathe.
The headline of this Wimbledon so far may have been all the upsets, but perhaps if we look a little deeper, it should be what’s driving so many upsets in the first place instead.
Highlight Reel
Emma Raducanu (40) gave world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka a run for her money in Friday’s third-round match, prompting my husband to declare that women’s tennis is much more fun to watch than men’s. Even though Raducanu lost, it was her best performance in years, and exciting to think that she could be making her way back to the top very soon.
Taylor Fritz vs. Giovanni Mpeshi Perricard and vs. Gabriel Diallo were absolute bangers on both sides of the court (literally and figuratively, given the insane serving stats). The No. 1 American is really proving his mettle to the doubters, even receiving accolades from the great Boris Becker.
The unexpected first-round five-setter between world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and the 38-year-old Fabio Fognini (138) was thrilling, surprising, and emotional in equal measure. How can you not love this sport?
Given the chaotic state of things, who do you think is winning Wimby? Tell me your best guesses in the comments!
Professional tennis, as a structure, is designed in such a way that is incredibly depressing and unsustainable. The schedule is a mess, but if you don’t keep up with it, you can’t stay at the top. If you’re 200 in the world you’re considered garbage, if you’re 500 in the world you’re nothing and are playing futures in Guam and the terrible parts of Cancun, and even if you’re at the top, the amount of abuse you’re subjected to online and in person is absurd. Other sports (NBA) are able to mitigate it by being a team environment, all expenses being paid for, and having a sense of camaraderie. In tennis, your only job is to completely and absolutely destroy your opponent.