Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal and Ben Shelton’s first-round loss turned the Wimbledon bracket’s bottom half into the clearest route to the final left in the draw. Sixteen players remain there, and one of them will come out with a place in the final.
Wimbledon and the open path
Alcaraz, the two-time champion and world No. 2, was sidelined before the tournament began because of a wrist injury. Shelton, the No. 4 seed, then fell to Otto Virtanen in the opening round, with the qualifier from Finland producing the second big change in that section of the draw.
That left 16 players in the bottom half after the opening rounds. For all but one of them, a run to the final would be their first at Wimbledon, and only one player in that section has won a Grand Slam title. The path is open, but it is still narrow: one player advances, 15 are done.
Alexander Zverev in the mix
Alexander Zverev is one of the names left standing, and he gave that part of the draw a clearer shape on Thursday by beating Valentin Royer in straight sets. He has a reasonable route to the final, but he has never been beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon.
His quarterfinal side could bring Taylor Fritz, and that matchup carries a hard edge. Zverev has lost his last seven meetings with Fritz, even though his overall record against him is 10-5 and Fritz has also been a tough grass-court opponent in years past. Fritz himself said European grass has been kind to him before, which fits the kind of draw that now sits in front of him.
Alex de Minaur and the pressure
Alex de Minaur adds another layer. He has reached seven major quarterfinals without advancing, and in 2024 he had to withdraw before his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic after injuring his hip three points before the end of his round-of-16 win against Arthur Fils.
That history leaves the bottom half with opportunity and baggage at the same time. Carlos Alcaraz is gone, Shelton is gone, and the section now turns on which of the remaining contenders can handle a draw that looks far more forgiving on paper than it did a few days ago. Who will ultimately seize the open bottom half of the Wimbledon men's draw?
