Ben Shelton said uncharacteristic errors at crucial moments had proved costly during his Australian Open semi-final loss against defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Carlos Alcaraz, who triumphed at Queen's a few weeks before claiming his first Wimbledon title in 2023, extended his winning streak to 18 matches.
13 of the men's seeds fell at the first hurdle -- a Wimbledon record since 32 seeds were introduced in 2001.
Carlos Alcaraz was pushed all the way by fellow-Spaniard Jaume Munar in a thrilling contest
Jannik Sinner overcame a debilitating medical episode as well as Dane Holger Rune to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the third time.
Significant pay hikes at the Grand Slams were central to the demands of the world's top players in their letter to the four majors recently.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner dismissed eighth seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 to reach the Australian Open semi-finals and extend the country's decades-long wait for another homegrown singles winner at the Grand Slam on Wednesday.
Eyeing a sixth Grand Slam title, the Spaniard was eventually too strong for the metronomically consistent Fritz, whose biggest weapons were still not damaging enough to unsettle the second seed under a fiery sun on Centre Court.
The world No. 1 said the "mental part" of his game was especially important in his run to the US Open title this year.
It was Alexander Zverev's first opening-round defeat at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2019 and leaves him still searching for a first major after 38 attempts.
Wimbledon champions to receive record three million pounds in prize money
Carlos Alcaraz avoided another scare at the Queen's Club ATP 500 event as the top-seeded Spaniard dispatched France's Arthur Rinderknech with little fuss 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals on Friday.
Djokovic is the last member of the "Big Four" still standing and the Serb said he wanted to continue giving to the sport.
Marin Cilic had never beaten a Top-5 player on grass in his entire career before Thursday.
Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Thursday after the second seed said he was struggling with hamstring and groin injuries.
Alexander Zverev will be third seed for the French Open but the 28-year-old German's prospects of winning his first Grand Slam title in Paris are not looking especially bright.
Novak Djokovic hit a barrage of drop shots to beat Alexander Zverev for a place in the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday.
Sinner unclear about CAS case ahead of Australian Open defence
Jannik Sinner begins his Australian Open title defence against Nicolas Jarry while women's champion Aryna Sabalenka takes on 2017 U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens
French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz, who won both of his previous meetings with Sinner this year, recovered from a slow start to wrap up victory in three hours, 21 minutes and improve his head-to-head record with the Italian to 6-4.
As the spotlight shines on Carlos Alcaraz's title defence and Novak Djokovic's pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam, a determined group of challengers is quietly preparing to shake up the draw.
With this win, he has improved his record in Rome to nine wins and four losses.
'Beautiful draw': Retiring Gasquet meets Sinner in French Open swansong
Four-times Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, who is gearing up to defend the French Open title later this month, fired off 24 winners in a strong performance to seal victory.
Italy's Sinner and Spain's Alcaraz have won two Grand Slams each this year, with Alcaraz beating Sinner in closely fought clashes at the French Open semi-finals and the China Open final.
Here is what you need to know about the year's Australian Open:
Novak Djokovic may have played at the Madrid Open for the last time after crashing out
WADA has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear world number one Jannik Sinner of wrongdoing after he failed drug tests
Images from the US Open men's singles final between Jannik Sinner and Taylor Fritz, at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Sunday.
Novak Djokovic's bid to add a 100th singles title to his trophy cabinet on Sunday was dashed after he was beaten 7-6(4), 6-3 by world number one Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday.
Sinner fired both team members last month, before winning the US Open title to make it two Grand Slam trophies in 2024 following his breakthrough Australian Open triumph.
Sinner gives the impression of a player with all the answers against whoever he comes up against, but the off-court questions he is likely to face about the doping case that surfaced in August might be harder to shrug off.
Defending champions Italy moved into the Davis Cup final after a 2-0 win over Australia on Saturday as Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets to follow up Matteo Berrettini's victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Novak Djokovic is ready to challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Grand Slam stage when he returns to action at the Australian Open after an underwhelming campaign this year, the 24-times champion said.
Swiss tennis great Roger Federer said on Tuesday that anti-doping authorities have questions to answer about a perceived double standard applied to world number one Jannik Sinner after he dodged a suspension despite two positive tests earlier this year.
The 23-year-old said he expected Britain's Draper, who reached a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time, to be a strong contender.
Sinner remains the man to beat at Melbourne Park even as doping officials seek a two-year ban for the world number one for failing two drugs tests last March.
Jannik Sinner became the first Italian to win the ATP Finals title following a dominant 6-4, 6-4 victory over American Taylor Fritz.
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