UPSET ALERT: Defending champion Marketa Vondrousova ousted in Wimbledon first round

Marketa Vondrousova will not be defending her Wimbledon title. Her tournament hopes crashed and burned in the first round. Vondrousova joins Steffi Graf as a defending champion who was defeated in straight sets in the first round the year after winning the title. Graf's loss came to Lori McNeil in 1994.

Vondrousova seemed out of sorts from the start. She has dealt with a slew of injuries since winning her title last year. In Berlin, she fell on the slick grass courts and had to retire from her match with a leg injury. Vondrousova did not take an injury timeout at Wimbledon; however, she was seen on a changeover trying to stretch out an apparent back issue. Her serve was not there for her, and she was trying to end points early which is a sure sign that she was not feeling 100%.

On the other hand, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro is a player on the rise who was at the top of her game. The 21-year-old Spaniard is ranked 83rd in the world, won one WTA Challenger event, and with the win, achieved a career-best second-round appearance at a Grand Slam.

Wimbledon has not had a repeat champion since Serena Williams in 2016

Grass court tennis is tough to master, and with the shortest season of all the surfaces in the tennis season, it is the most difficult for one woman to get a dominant hold on. Whereas Aryna Sabalenka has won multiple Australian Opens and Iga Swiatek has won multiple French Opens, Wimbledon has not produced a repeat champion since Serena Williams won in 2015 and 2016.

With Vondrousova out, Angelique Kerber and Elena Rybakina are the only former Wimbledon champions remaining in the draw.

Wimbledon for the women is up for grabs in 2024. While Rybakina could be considered a favorite, could this be the year Iga Swiatek or Coco Gauff, not known for their successes at Wimbledon, break through with a maiden grass-court Grand Slam victory?

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