SW19, the slasher movie: who next in a Wimbledon of shocks?

Superstars taking a beating, damaged limbs left, right and centre (court) and claims the grass is “dangerous”: this year’s Wimbledon feels like a bad slasher move with tennis racquets for chainsaws and squashed strawberries doubling up as fake blood, writes Anna Doble.

The first week of this most hallowed tournament is normally a genteel affair with the top seeds batting away opponents like flies and the only real demons found lurking in the weather forecast.

Seasoned tennis fans will remember Wimbledon’s old court number two, nicknamed “graveyard of the seeds” for its tendency to host shock defeats. It was bulldozed in 2009 during redevelopments but its ghosts no doubt still haunt the likes of Pete Sampras whose Wimbledon career withered and died there in 2002.

In 2013 British fans are furtively slapping the grave-diggers on the back as Andy Murray‘s route to the final looks the best it ever has.

Dearly departed

So let’s take a look at the casualties so far.

Rafael Nadal’s (pictured) first round demise set the pace on day one as the newly-crowned French Open champion lost to unknown Belgian Steve Darcis.

Like all good slasher flicks, the killer became the killed as Darcis succumbed to injury on “wounded Wednesday,” pulling out of his second round clash as six others also fell victim to physical afflictions – including Frenchman Jo-Wifried Tsonga, sixth seed, and Marin Cilic of Croatia, seeded tenth. Elsewhere John Isner and Radek Stepanek also retired hurt.

There was no let-up in the women’s draw.

Victoria Azarenka, world number two, blamed slippery conditions on court for her withdrawal after picking up a knee injury. “My opponent fell twice; I fell badly; there were some other people who fell after,” she insisted.

And Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, ninth seed, lost in straight sets to Petra Cetkovska after twisting her ankle.

And then came Maria Sharapova, the Russian darling of women’s tennis, heard saying “this court is dangerous” during her shock loss to Portuguese qualifier Michelle Larcher de Brito.

So when Roger Federer (pictured) stepped out onto centre court, the blood-spattered zombies of SW19 expected a little Swiss medicine to numb the pain.

Not so as world number 116 Sergiy Stakhovsky made slow and painful mincemeat of the defending champion in four agonisingly close sets.

John McEnroe said it was the craziest 24 hours in Wimbledon memory. For once he was deadly serious.

‘Nobody died’

Federer’s defeat recalled another defending champion’s exit, back in 1987.

Boris Becker, who had famously triumphed as a teenager in 1985 and 1986, slipped up against Australian Peter Doohan in the second round, and swiftly gave one of the most amusing interviews in tennis.

“I didn’t lose a war, nobody died,” he dead-panned. “I lost a tennis match, I tried as hard as I could. I didn’t play well, he played very well. That was it.”

Other famous giant killings include Andre Agassi’s loss against Paradorn Srichaphan in 2002, the same year seven-time champion Pete Sampras was humbled by world number 145 George Bastl.

And who can forget Rafael Nadal’s ignominious departure in 2012 to Lukas Rosol? After the match the Czech outside called the victory “a miracle”.

Who next?

So the question, nerve-racking though it may be for British fans, is who next?

With just one former champion – Novak Djokovic – still in the draw, the field has never looked so open.

Without Federer and Nadal in his way, Andy Murray’s journey to the final looks enticingly obstacle free but Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny could be waiting in round four; a strong grass court player and a quarter finalist here in 2012, he may smell blood.

Argentina’s Juan Monaco, seed 22, may fancy his chances in a possible quarter final clash with Murray, while Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, a previous quarter finalist at the French and Australian Open, could shatter Britain’s hopes in the semis.

Frenchman Richard Gasquet is probably the biggest immediate menace to Djokovic – the pair could meet in the quarter finals – with another grass court specialist Juan Martin del Potro his likely semi final opponent.

Undoubtedly this is Murray’s best chance ever at smooth passage to next Sunday’s finals – where last year he suffered a tear-soaked defeat to Roger Federer.

But “slasher” years have a tendency to throw up unlikely winners. Becker’s Doohan downfall in 1987 cleared the path for a memorable Pat Cash triumph. He never won another grand slam.

And Holland’s Richard Krajicek picked up his only major title in 1996 in a year that saw the big guns of the era – Agassi, Becker, Sampras, Courier – all meet untimely tournament deaths.

And who can forget Goran Ivanisevic’s wildcard heroics in 2001? Helped in no small part by the shock exit of Pete Sampras in the fourth round.

Murray is no underdog so hold on to your strawberries in week two, it could be a messy ride.