This year’s Wimbledon is pure edge-of-your-seat tennis. From facing the hottest temperatures to seeing over 10,000 fans lined up to procure tickets, it’s got all the drama! The tournament kicked off on June 30, and already 13 ATP seeds and 10 WTA seeds have fallen. Monday saw a few former top 10 players exit early. But Tuesday? It was a shocking rollercoaster. Top seeds like Alexander Zverev and WTA’s French Open winner Coco Gauff were knocked out in their first rounds. No. 3 Jessica Pegula and more also fell. That’s the highest number of seeded exits recorded so far. In fact, the last time this happened was nearly 12 years ago.

To catch you up, Tuesday, July 1, featured big names like No. 3 Alexander Zverev and No. 7 Lorenzo Musetti crashing out. On the WTA side, Monday’s shocks included No. 9 Paula Badosa, No. 20 Jelena Ostapenko, and No. 32 McCartney Kessler. Tuesday brought even bigger surprises with No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, and No. 5 Zheng Qinwen all bowing out early. It’s been a dramatic start to the tournament. Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg shared his fears on X: “IF Djokovic loses this tonight, this would probably right up there with 2013’s famous Black Wednesday for craziest day in #Wimbledon history.”

Novak Djokovic faced an unexpected challenge in his 2025 Wimbledon first-round match against Alexandre Muller. Despite taking the first set comfortably, Nole struggled significantly in the second, losing it in a tie-break amidst a sudden stomach issue that left him feeling “absolute worst” for about 45 minutes. He required on-court medical attention and credited “miracle pills” from the doctor for helping him regain energy and eventually close out the four-set victory.

One X user reported it clearly, “@Wimbledon 2025’s first wk has been one of the most unpredictable in history, with over 23 seeded players already out, incl top names like Coco Gauff, Zverev, Medvedev, & Pegula. Both the men’s & women’s draws saw multiple top 10 seeds lose in the first rd, a rarity that hasn’t happened at this scale before. It’s drawing comparisons to Wimbledon’s infamous ‘Black Wednesday’ in 2013. This year might just top it.” But what is this Black Wednesday?

June 26, 2013, was quickly dubbed“Black Wednesday” at Wimbledon, because of the chaos and shock. Slippery grass courts led to a wave of injuries, forcing seven singles players—including five top-20 seeds like Victoria Azarenka, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marin Cilic, and John Isner—to retire or withdraw mid-match. The drama only escalated as the No. 3 seed Maria Sharapova fell, adding fuel to the fiery debate about those treacherous court conditions. The tournament seemed to lose its balance entirely that day.

The madness kicked off with a string of withdrawals and ended with a cascade of upsets. Sloane Stephens, one of the few survivors, summed it up perfectly: “The whole day … has been bizarre. I don’t know what’s going on.” It was a day Wimbledon fans would never forget, packed with unexpected twists and turns that left everyone stunned.

Twelve seeds bit the dust, including seven former world No. 1s. The biggest shock? Defending champion Roger Federer crashing out in the second round. Playing last on Centre Court, Federer lost a nail-biter to 116th-ranked Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, 7-6 (7-5). This snapped his incredible streak of 36 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals dating back to 2004—a run that felt invincible until that day.

Federer’s defeat was his worst major loss since 2002 and the earliest exit for a defending champ since Lleyton Hewitt’s first-round shocker the same year. Not to forget Rafael Nadal practically one-upping Federer by suffering his first ever opening round defeat at a major tournament. The tournament felt like it had slipped off its axis, leaving players and fans alike reeling. Now fast forward 12 years, how did the latest crop of fallen stars react to their shock upsets yesterday?

Coco Gauff and other seeds give their thoughts on exiting Wimbledon

The American’s early Wimbledon exit came with a 7-6(3), 6-1 loss to unseeded Dayana Yastremska, placing her among a rare group of women who’ve stumbled in the first round at Wimbledon right after winning the French Open. After the match, Gauff didn’t hold back, saying, “I’m trying to be positive. After the match I definitely was struggling in the locker room. I don’t like losing. I know my team is gonna tell me ‘you did well at Roland Garros. Don’t be so upset’. But I don’t really like losing. I feel a bit disappointed with how I showed up today.” She struggled with nine double faults and 29 unforced errors, while Yastremska seized the moment to pull off a stunning upset.

Earlier, Jessica Pegula arrived at Wimbledon riding high after her Bad Homburg title win over Iga Swiatek but couldn’t keep the streak alive. She was shocked in just 58 minutes by World No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who claimed a 6-2, 6-3 victory. Reflecting on the loss, Pegula said, “It’s so frustrating when something you’ve been working on doesn’t come through when you want it to, especially on grass.” This marked Pegula’s earliest Grand Slam exit since the 2020 French Open.

Lastly, Alexander Zverev also faced heartbreak after a gripping five-set loss to Arthur Rinderknech. Opening up about his mental battles, he shared, “I feel very alone out there at times. I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open. Yeah, just don’t know. I’m trying to find ways to get out of this hole. I keep finding myself back in it. I just feel generally very, very alone and very lonely… is a feeling that is not very nice. Just never felt that way before.” His honesty added a poignant layer to the tournament’s unfolding drama.

As Day 3 unfolds, a few rain delays might briefly pause the action, but the intensity won’t fade. Wimbledon is set to deliver thrilling tennis for the next two weeks! Keep following all the twists and turns on the Live Blog here!