"The shock of all shocks."
That was how tennis legend Chrissie Evert described Serena Williams' fourth-round defeat by Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon on Monday. Of course, given the tumultuous nature of the 2013 edition of Wimbledon, this result could be viewed as yet another example of the new normal at the All England Club. In 2013, unpredictability has been the only constant at the world's premier grass court tournament.
"I probably couldn't be more disappointed," Williams told reporters after the match.
Williams also probably couldn't have better company in missing out on the quarterfinals. The 31-year-old joined Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Victoria Azarenka, Sara Errani, Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Maria Kirilenko, Richard Gasquet and Marin Cilic as players who began play seeded in the top 10 but failed to reach the quarterfinals. Whether they withdrew due to injury (Azarenka, Tsonga) or were merely ousted by an unexpected loss (Nadal, Federer, Sharapova), few of the other stars who departed early even managed to last as long as Williams.
Here is a look back at circumstances of all the unexpected early exits at Wimbledon:
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