Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he has been left “shocked” by the opening three days of Wimbledon this year.
It’s been a record-breaking start to the tournament, which saw conditions rise to over 31C on the first day.
Additionally, Taylor Fritz’s five-set thriller, in which he came from two sets down to win against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, stopped at 10.18pm and was delayed until the next day due to the tournament’s curfew of 11pm.
Fans labelled the decision as “dumb”, but Fritz came out the next day to overcome the challenge and make it through to the second round.
Taylor Fritz came from two sets down to win in the first round
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For Alcaraz, though, it hasn’t been the conditions and the curfew delays that have stunned him - it’s the record-breaking amount of seeded players that have exited the competition.
This year, the All England Club tournament has broken the competition’s record for most seeded players to fall in the first round, and tied with the 2004 Australian Open for the most in the Open Era.
Notable names include Alexander Zverev, who lost after his match against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech was also delayed until the following day, Lorenzo Musetti and Daniil Medvedev.
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Alexander Zverev lost in a five-set thriller marking his worst Grand Slam performance in six years
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In the women’s, Tuesday saw second-seed Coco Gauff, coming off the back of her French Open victory, exit in straight sets, followed by last year’s finalist Jasmine Paolini.
Alcaraz said the development has prompted him to focus on his game to ensure he does not suffer the same fate.
Discussing the extent of high-profile exits at the tournament so far, the 22-year-old said: "I paid attention on that, I hear it is the most seeded [players] out of the tournament in the first round.
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“So it's kind of shocking. In that way, I just try to be more focused, even more focused on the tournament."
Earlier in the day, tennis legend Tim Henman expressed his delight at seeing new faces being successful in the tournament.
“It’s amazing,” Henman told the BBC of the volume of upsets.
“I think that emphasises the unpredictability, but it also emphasises what fine margins there are between the very top players and players ranked a lot further down, whether they have come through qualifying or if they’re no 80 or no 90.”
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Carlos Alcaraz admitted it was 'shocking' to see so many upsets, but he made sure he was not one of them
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The 50-year-old heeded a warning for Alcaraz and the remaining seeded players in the tournament, however.
“You know you have to go out there and deliver a performance,” Henman continued. “If you don’t, if you’re slightly off your game, you’re going to be vulnerable.
“When we see some of these top seeds going out, it’s great to see some of those new names looking to break through.
“It’s sad to see a great champion lose, but when they do lose, it provides a very exciting opportunity for others.”
Wednesday saw Alcaraz become the first in the top 10 seeds to make it through to the third round after his victory over British qualifier Oliver Tarvet, while Aryna Sabalenka also progressed in straight sets to set up a mouthwatering tie against British no 1 Emma Raducanu.
On Thursday, Novak Djokovic, Jack Draper and Jannik Sinner will try to make sure they don’t become the latest big name to face the exit door at SW19.
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