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

#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.