Wimbledon is burning: 23 seeded players lose in the first round

It wasn’t so long ago that the buzz in tennis was that, age-wise, “30 is the new 20.” Led by the Big Three, but including players like Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and even “Dr. Ivo” Karlovic, these veterans were still belting out winners in their late 30s.

Given the fitness level of those players, was 40 destined to be the “new 30?”

It seemed a preposterous idea—and it was. Last year at Wimbledon, the average age of the final four men, despite the presence of 37-year old Novak Djokovic, was 27. That’s right in the developmental sweet spot. The champion Carlos Alcaraz was 21, and semifinalist Lorenzo Mussetti was 22.

But the recent success of this youth uprising (the cohort also includes Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Jakub Mensik and new sensation Joao Fonseca) has a darker side. Some of the more consistent players, stalwarts who had challenged and occasionally toppled the Big Three+ opponents, may be struggling with burnout—or something akin to it.

Granted, the first day at Wimbledon was a lousy day for many top players. But losses by three of the game’s bigger, bankable stars—Daniil Medvedev, Matteo Berrettini and Stefanos Tsitsipas—were thought-provoking. All three seeded players have reached Grand Slam finals and still are in their primes.

Other seeds struggled in the heat wave gripping London during the first two days of what can only be called carnage. On Monday, the ATP also lost No. 8 Holger Rune and No. 16 Francisco Cerundolo, along with two other seeds. The WTA suffered three casualties, the highest being No. 9 seed Paula Badosa.

Then came Tuesday. ATP stalwarts Alexander Zverev, the No. 3 seed, and No. 7 Mussetti, led a parade of six seeds to fall, while No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 5 Qinwen Zheng also were eliminated. In all, 13 of the ATP seeds and 10 WTA seeds are out after round one, including four members of the Top 10 in each group.

Well, [I’m] not panicking. Daniil Medvedev

Medvedev, a former No. 1, five-time major runner-up and former US Open champion, is still just 29, but he’s hit upon hard times. He’s won 20 ATP titles, but not one since May 2023. He has lost his last six finals, his ranking is down to No. 9 (for now), and he lost at Wimbledon to No. 64 Benjamin Bonzi.

“I would be surprised if you find a match of him playing like this any other match this year,” Medvedev told reporters afterward.

The lanky Russian’s response to his and other recent setbacks has been philosophical analysis mixed with a tendency to whistle past the graveyard.

“Well, [I’m] not panicking,” Medvedev said after the loss, while allowing that he was “really worried” after losing in the first round at Roland Garros—and then failing in his second match at the ATP 250 event at 's-Hertogenbosch. Medvedev righted his ship at Halle (he lost the final to Alexander Bublik), but stumbled on Monday.

It's a lot of losses in a row [lately], different ones,” he said of recent defeats doled out by the likes of clay-court experts including Casper Ruud and Mussetti. “[I’m] not too worried,” he concluded, adding that he looked forward to the upcoming segment on his preferred hard courts. But the pressure will be on.

I'm just trying to find that balance again, of how can I go match after match feeling the freshest that I can. Stefanos Tsitsipas

Tsitsipas, with an age and rank of 26, is a former ATP No. 3 and two-time finalist at majors. He’s been struggling for over a year now, partly due to a back injury that flared up at Wimbledon, where he abandoned his match after losing the first two sets to ATP No. 113 Valenti Royer. Tsitsipas had arrived at Wimbledon with high hopes—and some baggage besides injury issues.

“I was playing good tennis (going into Wimbledon),” he said after the loss. “I felt like I had a good chance at Wimbledon. I really don't know what else I can say. It's tough to wrap my head around what happened.”

A few weeks ago, on his best surface at Roland Garros, Tsitsipas lost to Italian qualifier Matteo Giganti. In a somber press conference afterward he admitted to feeling flat: “I have been fresher for sure in the past, and I'm just trying to find that balance again, of how can I go match after match feeling the freshest that I can.”

Tsitsipas also alluded to the disruptive impact being made by younger players: “The lineup right now is much more difficult than it was back then (circa 2021). Players are so much more mature. Shots have changed. Players [are] playing with two forehands almost. I have to adapt my game. I have to consider certain things moving forwards because it's growing a lot in intensity, and physically it has never been in a position like now.”

Tennis has been in the last months really tough for me. Matteo Berrettini

The keyword is “intensity.” The word helps explain the comparable struggles faced by a number of other under-30 players once tabbed for big success even if, like Medvedev, they avoid speaking it. The game has become ever more grueling. In 2024, Wimbledon featured 37 five-set matches—the most at a major in the Open Era. It’s no coincidence that loss of intensity and burnout have become issues for players of a certain age.

Matteo Berrettini may be the most alarming case among all of them. The charismatic, 6'5", 29-year-old was seeded No. 32. A former Wimbledon finalist, he was knocked out after a five-set battle with Poland’s No. 109 Kamil Majchrzak. Berrettini later told the media of his struggle to find intensity and confidence:

“I'm going to say something that's maybe not correct [proper]. Tennis has been in the last months really tough for me. I think you could see it on court today. I am really sorry for the people that helped me to get here and everybody that made it possible. I'm talking about physically, and obviously tennis-wise—and everything. But, honestly, this is not the way that I wanted to be on court [I wanted to] enjoy being out there.”

This was an extraordinarily frank admission from a player who has had more than his share of injury blues and who won three ATP titles last year—but also watched some of his Italian compatriots rocket past him in the rankings.

“I surprised myself at the [good] level I can have, but that's not the issue for me,” said Berrettini, who missed two months and only picked up a racquet again the Tuesday before the start of Wimbledon. Instead he was disappointed by his lack of joy.

“My team thought that coming back here, such a special place for me, would help me to feel better, but it didn't. I just have to take some time and think about my future, because this is not the way I like to spend my time on court.”

Perhaps Berrettini will find his joy again. Medvedev may recapture his consistency and appetite. Tsitsipas; sense of having been left behind might diminish if he resolves his back issues.

Whatever the future holds, recent history suggests that, once again, the game belongs to the young and intense. And burnout just may be the “new enemy.”