Marketa Vondrousova Joins Steffi Graf in Exclusive Yet Undesirable Wimbledon Club

Most tennis players could only dream about doing something that 22-time Grand Slam singles champion Steffi Graf accomplished during her legendary career.

Unfortunately, World No. 6 and defending Wimbledon singles champion Marketa Vondrousova joined Graf in an exclusive yet undesirable club on Tuesday.

Vondrousova fell in a straight-set stunner to 21-year-old Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, echoing Graf's first-round defeat in 1994 against Lori McNeil.

This is only the second time in the sport's Open era (dating back to 1968) that a woman has gone from winning the Wimbledon championship to an immediate first-round exit the following year.

Vondrousova shocked the tennis world last summer by becoming the first unseeded woman to win the crown at the All England Club.

She was also the lowest-ranked woman to win at Wimbledon, entering the tournament last year ranked 42nd. However, her surprising loss on Tuesday will significantly impact her ranking.

Despite being a finalist at the 2019 French Open, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, and a quarterfinalist at the 2023 U.S. Open, Vondrousova couldn't hold her ground at this year's Wimbledon.

Reports from the Associated Press and ESPN suggest that Vondrousova was still suffering from a hip injury sustained during a grass-court tune-up tournament in Berlin last month.

Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, ranked as high as No. 83 in the WTA rankings and never past the second round of a major tournament before, expressed her delight after the match.

"Now I'm really happy. I think this is one of the most important moments of my life, in my career here and this court is amazing," she said following the upset.

Fans of Andy Murray faced disappointment on Tuesday morning as the three-time Grand Slam singles champion withdrew from the singles tournament due to recovery from recent spinal surgery.

However, Murray will still be at the All England Club, competing in doubles alongside his older brother, Jamie Murray.

The two-time Wimbledon singles champion, who announced he was hoping to play at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics before likely retiring, had spinal surgery on June 22.

The recovery typically takes six weeks, but Murray remains determined to compete.

Murray, who won his first Grand Slam singles crown at the 2012 U.S. Open and took the title at Wimbledon in 2013 and 2016, has made multiple appearances in Grand Slam finals, losing to top players like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Jamie Murray, specializing in doubles, is a seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion and former World No. 1 in doubles.

He won the mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2017 alongside Martina Hingis.

The Murray brothers will compete together at Wimbledon for the first time on Wednesday, facing John Peers and Rinky Hijikata, offering fans a unique and exciting match to look forward to.