Wimbledon 2025: Alexander Zverev knocked out in first round after shocking upset vs. Arthur Rinderknech

Yahoo

8 hours ago

The men's No. 3 tennis player won't be winning Wimbledon in 2025. Alexander Zverev's quest for his first Wimbledon championship came up short, as he was eliminated by Arthur Rinderknech in the first round on Tuesday.
Zverev went the distance against Rinderknech. The match not only lasted two days, but extended to a fifth set. Both men started play Monday, but their match had to be suspended after the second set due to Wimbledon's curfew. With the match tied 7-6, 6-7, play resumed Tuesday.
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Any momentum Zverev had after winning the second set Monday was erased, as Rinderknech picked up a 6-3 win in the third set. Zverev battled back in the fourth, taking it 7-6. That set the stage for a final set.
When the dust settled, it was Rinderknech who walked away with the 6-4 win in the final set.
Actually, it wouldn't be accurate to say he walked away. Following the victory, Rinderknech laid down on the court in shock as the fans erupted in cheers.
He eventually got up, extending both arms out to the side as he approached the net to shake hands with Zverev. After that exchange, Rinderknech brought his hands to his head in disbelief before celebrating in front of the crowd.
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Zverev struggled in two key areas during the match. He picked up five double faults and he had a tough time at the net. Zverev won just 50 percent of his net point attempts. Rinderknech dominated in that area, winning 80 percent of his net points. While it was a disappointing result for Zverev, he actually finished with fewer unforced errors in the match, which took nearly five hours to complete.
The loss marks the first time since 2019 Zverev failed to advance past the first round at Wimbledon. The event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Zverev did not take part in Wimbledon in 2022 due to an injury.
While he's typically made deeper runs at the tournament, Wimbledon remains Zverev's toughest Grand Slam. He's won just 64 percent of his matches at Wimbledon. His winning percentage in each of the other three Grand Slams sits above 74 percent.
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Zverev is the second No. 3 seed to fall Tuesday. American Jessica Pegula also suffered an early exit on the women's side, losing to Elisabetta Cocciaretto in straight sets early Tuesday.
With the win, Rinderknech, who came into Wimbledon ranked No. 72, will advance to the second round at the event for the second time in his career. Rinderknech also reached the second round at Wimbledon last year, where he was defeated by Taylor Fritz.