Seeded player crash galore at Wimbledon 2025
View(s):This year’s Wimbledon remembered for the crash of the elites in the very first round. Ten of the Women’s seeding, including three from Top 5 of the WTA ranking and 15 of the Men’s ranked players, including four from the Top 10 lost in the very first round. Is the new ‘Rye’ grass the reason? The 35 degrees centigrade in the stadium also had a hand in it.
In the two Open Singles events close to 39 seeded players from both gender were beaten, such early exit of seeded players is unprecedented. Grass courts now made solely with Rye grass. It slows down the game considerably and gives high bounce. [Original ‘Blue’ grass was fast and low bounce encouraged net play] To make the grass court rallies longer and to sustain the surface durability Rye grass introduced. The game became spectator friendly with longer rallies. Along with it, Wimbledon dedicated tennis balls increased its dimension by 0.70 to slow down the game and for better visibility. The effects telling more on the elite performance. Could this be the cause of the seeded player crash in Wimbledon 2025?
Rye grass story
This year there were more grass court events in the European continent. The continent sees a future in grass court tennis after the introduction of slower grass court. Couple of clips in the website gives clearly, what the Rye grass does and the original Blue grass did not. Longer rallies and all court game are among them.
The riddle as to why top ranked players crashed out of this Wimbledon is ‘speed’. Top end players heavily rely on speed as their weapon of attack. Time/space challenge is the basis of all court strategies. Slower grass seem to violate this advantage and demand more of skill/endurance game. It will make grass court also another all stroke all court tennis game.
Regardless the elites will find a way to establish their superiority with their imaginative skill – talent approach. Wait and see.
Tennis for everyone
Wimbledon is an elite tennis showpiece. The event holds up tennis as sport of appeal for spectatorship, tradition, high-end competition and sponsorship. Evolved over 100 plus years, it has ironed out and tailored for sporting appeal. All the time, Wimbledon has defined the future of tennis. Many racquet games appeared, in its period, only tennis sustained its popularity, Wimbledon is one reason for it.
Facilitating tennis is not easy. It requires controlled ambience and high end playing skills. Globally, nationally and in recreational facility providing clubs struggled with upkeep of tennis popularity. A difficult road, to all 212 countries where tennis is played. Wimbledon and such events are an encouraging pathfinder in all countries.
Player development
Of recent European nations got stronger in this segment, France was able to field 12 men into the main draw. That is one tenth of the Men’s draw and seven reached the second round. Italy came up with strong contingent of men and women. Current ATP No.1 Janick Sinner is Italian and so is the rising star Jasmini Piolini in women. It was coming, just prior to this long list of men and women from France and Italy came knocking on the door.
Global awareness
Player prosperity and popularity propels sports enthusiasm. Money for professionals are an encouragement to take up tennis, of recent Roger Federer named as a billionaire joining Cristiano Ronaldo of football fame. [Report also indicated over half of it came from Federer’s wife’s investment with a tennis shoe company]
Our Junior King’s Cup
ITF works out Junior Davis Cup and King’s Cup for its affiliates. It permits minuscular talent base identification and encouragement in nations. The King’s Cup ladder system provides a road plan for player development in nations.
This year Sri Lanka junior girls’ team qualified into the Group II of the King’s Cup regional group. The spearheading performance came from Dinara de Silva. Couple of years back, the same was achieved with Angelika Kurera at the helm. Making one player is a major task and a team is mega and major national pursuit. Every nation makes development platform as their engine. Wimbledon event revitalises the enthusiasm for national pursuit every year.
Alexandra Eala, a Pilipino
She is the first from her country to play Wimbledon. Just turned 20, she put a strong stand to win the first set against former Wimbledon winner Barbora Krejcikova. In the 1950s, Pilipino men dominated Asian tennis and graced Grand Slam events. This is the first time a female player makes an impact. [Edmond Dero and Felicicimo Ampong are names I recall]
The first three days of Wimbledon 2025 had scorching temperatures. Many could not sustain their winning game. Could have been the reason for seeded player defeats, but then winners also played under the same condition. Wimbledon event played over a two-week period. This is where elites found to sustain the game in the future. Right now Carlos Alcaraz of Spain and Janik Sinner of Italy are the leading men. Aryna Sabalenka the Belarus reigns women’s tennis with Coco Gauff and company at her heels.
–George Paldano, European and Asian competition player;Coach German Tennis Federation; National coach Brunei and Sri Lanka; Davis Cup, Federation Cup coach, coached ATP, WTA and ITF ranked players in Europe and Asia; WhatsApp +94775448880–