Wimbledon 2018: 3 reasons why so many of the top women's seeds have fallen early this year

The All England Club has been the scene of many sporting shocks over the years. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Pete Sampras have all been victims of a Wimbledon upset, making it the most dramatic of any competition in tennis.

At SW19, there is no time or space to ease yourself into the tournament, not even for those near the top of the tennis ladder. The unseeded and unheralded competitors have taken to the courts beautifully, playing with courage, confidence, and with nothing to lose.

The number of top seeds that have fallen has been staggering, with many of the WTA’s highest ranked players sent packing within the first two rounds. Caroline Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza, Petra Kvitova, and Elina Svitolina have all faltered at the first or the second hurdle, leaving the draw completely wide open. Although the men’s draw has remained largely intact, there have still been big-name departures.

However, in the face of such turbulence and unpredictability, the old pretenders have looked as imperious as ever. Roger Federer and Serena Williams have all progressed with relative ease and in doing so, sent a message to their fellow competitors. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic also produced some sparkling tennis, as they look to build up a head of steam.

Although these dramatic upsets bring drama and excitement, it does beg the question: Who are going to be the next leading lights in the tennis world once the 'Big Four' and the Williams sisters hang up their rackets? The WTA now is too inconsistent for someone to take over that mantle, with the ATP also suffering from a similar problem.

Let us now try to have a look at what exactly led to these shocking results.

#1 When the going got tough, the top seeds have crumbled

Garbine Muguruza’s match against Alison Van Uytvanck looked a formality, as the defending champion took a close first set 7-5. It looked as though she had one foot in the third round, with the Spaniard’s big groundstrokes proving too much to handle for the world no.47. However, the unseeded Belgian took the next two sets 6-1 6-2, in the most unpredictable of matches.

Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki also suffered a shock defeat, as she lost to Croatia’s Donna Vekic. This defeat was particularly surprising given Wozniacki's ability to scrap and hang in points. After losing the first set 6-1, she regrouped to take the next set 6-4.

It looked as though the 27-year-old had got her confidence back, but in the third set, Wozniacki not only failed to handle her opponent, but also the insects. After the match, the Dane blamed the strangely tropical conditions and said, “I want to be here to focus on tennis, not eating insects”.

Whilst having to deal with bugs is never ideal, you always felt as though the likes of Serena Williams and Venus Williams would have got through that. Last year, Venus Williams had to deal with a raucous home crowd when she played Britain’s Johanna Konta, as the Brits started to dream.

The American simply played her game as she outsmarted and outplayed Konta, progressing to the final in straight sets. Three years ago, Serena Williams found herself 3-0 down to Heather Watson and was even 5-4 down as Watson served for the match. However, the American legend found a way to win and eventually went on to win the title.

#2 Inconsistent results in previous tournaments left them with doubts

Sloane Stephens venting her frustration

Let us take Sloane Stephens and her performances in the last four Grand Slams. Last year’s US Open victory was a landmark moment for Stephens, as she secured her first Major. Going into this year’s Australian Open, it seemed the American would be competing for another major title. However, the 24-year-old fell at the first hurdle and lost to China’s Shuai Zhang.

The American rather surprisingly made the final of the French Open and took the first set 6-3, with some outstanding tennis. However, Halep was not be denied, as she finally won the title she had craved for so long. However, the US Open champion could not even draw any confidence from her run and lost in the first round of Wimbledon.

Petra Kvitova looked imperious in the early part of the grass season, as she dropped only one set on her way to victory in Birmingham. In Eastbourne, she pulled out of the second round in order to avoid any risk of injury at Wimbledon.

However, in her first-round match against Aliakasandra Sasnovich, she never really got going and lost in three sets, as she looked frail and devoid of energy. The two very different results she got in her build-up tournaments left her in doubt as to where her game was at. This proves that consistency is vital to have success in a Grand Slam.

#3 Unranked players gaining confidence from the falling top seeds

Sasnovich saluting the crowd after her win against Kvitova

Aliaksandra Sansovich headed into her first-round match as a talented but unheralded Belarussian talent. However, no one could have expected the 24-year-old to start the way she did, as she took the first set 6-2. Although Kvitova snatched the second, the Belarussian remained undeterred and put her Czech opponent under pressure with her variety of shots.

She was also willing to come to the net to finish points; an increasingly rare feature of the women’s game. Her interview afterwards oozed confidence and bravery, where she said that she could play even better and talked about her intention to go all the way.

Last year, Magdalena Rybarikova made a run to the semi-finals and lost to the eventual champion Garbine Muguruza. In March of last year, her ranking had dropped to 453, due to wrist and knee injuries, which left her out of action for half of 2016. During her run to the last-four, she beat Coco Vandeweghe and Karolina Pliskova, who were both ranked far higher than Rybarikova, but the Belarussian’s variety and tenacity brought her success.

Garbine Muguruza’s opponent Van Uytvanck could have easily become dispirited after her first set loss. However, she stayed aggressive and found vulnerabilities in the Muguruza game. For many of the top players on the WTA, their game is based on pure power -- a risky play-style which can often reduce consistency and increase unforced errors. This was the case for both Muguruza and Kvitova, as they were exposed by their lower-ranked opponents.