Djokovic's Early Exit Opens Up Men's Side at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic was shocked this weekend when he was upset by American Sam Querrey, ending his hopes of adding to his growing collection of tennis titles and distinctions. Probably the single most impressive distinction that Djokovic held going into that match was this one: he was the first man in many decades to hold all four Grand Slam championships simultaneously. Okay, true, it was not a pure "Grand Slam," as he did not win all of them in the same calendar year. Still, having been the most recent champion in each of them, and being not only ranked number one, but being so far ahead of everyone else that the notion of someone actually catching up to him before year's end seems almost laughable, is an important indicator of just how dominant Djokovic had become in men's tennis.

Now that Djokovic is gone from this particular tournament, it opens up the possibilities considerably on the men's side. Surely, the other top three seeds who remain alive (that would be Roger Federer and Andy Murray) are surely salivating at this opportunity. I would have thought that the number four seed, Stan Wawrinka, would surely be doing the same, except that he too was eliminated, although his loss came against a much more accomplished tennis player in Juan Del Potro, the former US Open champ. In general, Djokovic's exit means that either one of those guys already mentioned could add to their considerable title count, or someone can get a huge Grand Slam win that helps to change and define their career.

It does make things interesting on the men's side for the next week. I'll be watching to see what happens, and obviously, I'm not alone in that regard.

In the meantime, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the biggest upsets in WImbledon history, specifically. Djokovic's surprisingly early exit is shocking, but does it rank as the most shocking upset in Wimbledon history.

Judging from the article (see link below) that got me on this topic, surely not. There were other bigger upsets at earlier stages of the tournament. And remember, we are just looking at Wimbledon, and not the other four majors. Staffi Graf losing in the first round in 1994 would likely take that distinction, as Graf seemed almost like a methodical machine at that point in her career. Also, Nadal and Federer's early exits in recent years would prove rather shocking.

Here's the link:

From Djokovic to Nadal and Graf: The Seven Biggest Wimbledon Upsets by Danielle Rossingh, July 3, 2016:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/daniellerossingh/2016/07/03/from-djokovic-to-nadal-and-graf-the-seven-biggest-wimbledon-upsets/#7868ff451204