This year’s Wimbledon Championships have been historic, with various high-profile seeds falling in the first round.
High-profile names such as Coco Gauff, Alexander Zverev and Jessica Pegula were all defeated by lower-ranked opponents during the first two days of play at Wimbledon.
In fact, there has been a new record set. A total of 23 seeds across singles draws fell in the first round, setting a new high for Wimbledon since Grand Slams switched to 32 seeds in 2001.
Tim Henman, former British number one, weighed in on the extraordinary circumstances over the first two days while speaking to the BBC on Wednesday morning.
Tim Henman says the record-breaking number of seeds exiting Wimbledon emphasises the ‘fine margins’ between players
When asked about the new record for seeds exiting in the first round of Wimbledon, Henman said: “It’s amazing and I think that emphasises the unpredictability but it also emphasises what fine margins there are between the very top players and players that are ranked a lot further down the rankings, whether they’re coming through qualifying or if they’re in the 80’s and 90’s, you know that you’ve got to go out there and deliver a performance.
“If you don’t, if you’re slightly off your game you’re going to be vulnerable and as you say when we see some of these top seeds going out I think it’s great to see some of those new names looking to break through.”
Aside from the most elite players who have gone out, like Coco Gauff and Lorenzo Musetti, lower seeds have also gone out, including former Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini.
Henman, who said he enjoyed picking this year’s Wimbledon wildcards, noted that while it can leave anyone feeling melancholy when a top seed goes out, the draw can open up and provide opportunities to players further down the rankings.
Henman added: “We’re always sad to see the great champions to lose but when they do lose it provides a very exciting opportunity for others.”
More records tumble after mass exodus of seeds at Wimbledon
Wimbledon’s seeds keep setting records – for the wrong reasons.
Eight top-10 seeded players across the men’s and women’s singles tournaments were eliminated in the opening Round at the Championships 2025, the highest tally at a single Grand Slam event in the Open Era.
These seeds were Coco Gauff, Alexander Zverev, Jessica Pegula, Qinwen Zheng, Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev and Paula Badosa.
Carlos Alcaraz, who also struggled to a five-set win against Fabio Fognini, is among the most high-profile seeds playing on Wednesday in the second round, when he faces British qualifier Oliver Tarvet.
