Third seed Alexander Zverev fell at the first hurdle at Wimbledon, losing a five-set thriller to Arthur Rinderknech on Tuesday night.
In a match spread out over two days, world No. 72 Rinderknech stunned the world No. 3 7-6(3), 6-7(8), 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4 out on Centre Court, sealing the biggest win of his career by ranking.
It is the first time since Wimbledon in 2019 that Zverev has fallen in the opening round of a Grand Slam, and his early exit means that he has still never made it to the last eight at the All England Club.
The German is the highest-ranked seed to lose so far but is now one of 12 seeds beaten at the tournament, a new Open Era record for Wimbledon.
Rinderknech, who turns 30 next month, had never beaten a top-10 opponent before this summer, when he defeated world No. 10 Ben Shelton at the Queen’s Club.
“[There are] lots of emotions,” Rinderknech told the press.
“Like I said on court, it was difficult to find the words to describe whatever I was feeling on court.
“You know, the Centre Court of Wimbledon. Every single player in the world knows how incredible and a privilege it is to play on this court.
“Incredibly happy and pleased about the win today, but you know, it’s a two-day win. I already need to play tomorrow, so the focus is on recovering and being ready for tomorrow.”
Victory over Zverev is by far and away the most significant win of the French star’s career, though it looked like he could have missed his chance to shock the third seed.
Rinderknech failed to convert a set point in the second-set tiebreak on Monday night and ultimately lost the tiebreak 10-8, before play was called for the day.
After winning the third set on Tuesday, he was 5-3 up and just two points from victory in the fourth-set breaker, only for Zverev to win four points in a row and force a decider.
However, Rinderknech sealed an early break in the decider and held his nerve to triumph, and revealed afterwards that a “no regrets” approach was key to his triumph.
He added: “I just tried to throw it away next to me and just focus about the present moment.
“I went to the restroom, changed everything, all my clothes, and was, like: ‘Okay, it’s a one-set match and just give it everything, and no regrets at the end.’
“I was lucky it was no regrets and a win. That’s even better.”
Rinderknech next faces Cristian Garin, who entered the draw as a lucky loser.
The Chilean is a former quarter-finalist at the All England Club, reaching the last eight in 2022, and beat qualifier Chris Rodesch in round one.
