Wimbledon Shocker: Coco Gauff Out Early; Djokovic Battles Illness to Advance

Coco Gauff's hopes at Wimbledon were dashed in a stunning first-round defeat, while Novak Djokovic battled through illness to secure a second-round spot in a day filled with unexpected drama.

Dayana Yastremska congratulates Coco Gauff after her first-round victory at Wimbledon.

Gauff, the reigning French Open champion and second seed, fell to Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska in straight sets 7-6 (3/7), 6-1. This marked her earliest Grand Slam exit since the previous year's Wimbledon.

The American star, who arrived at the All England Club with high expectations, appeared out of sorts on Centre Court. After a tight first set, her game unraveled, allowing Yastremska, ranked 42nd in the world, to dominate the second set.

Following the match, Gauff cited the quick transition from clay to grass as a contributing factor to her mental and physical fatigue.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards [following the French Open win], so I didn't feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it," she explained. "It's the first time experiencing this – coming off a big win and then playing Wimbledon. I learned a lot about what I would and wouldn't do again."

Gauff's loss was part of a challenging day for top women's seeds, with third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen also suffering straight-set defeats to lower-ranked opponents.

Arun Dhumal discusses Jay Shah's leadership at the BCCI.

Later in the evening, Novak Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, faced his own challenges in his quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title. Against France's Alexandre Muller, Djokovic cruised through the first set before experiencing a sudden illness that led to him losing the second in a tiebreak.

"I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes," Djokovic said after his 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-2 victory. "Whether it was a stomach bug, I don't know. I struggled with that, but the energy came back after some doctors' miracle pills and I finished the match well."

Earlier in the day, defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova narrowly avoided an upset, defeating Alexandra Eala in three sets. Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek, and Taylor Fritz all secured comfortable wins.

In another surprising result, men’s third seed Alexander Zverev was defeated in five sets by French world number 72 Arthur Rinderknech. This marked Zverev's earliest Grand Slam exit since 2019.