Medvedev, Tsitsipas and Alcaraz create unfavourable tennis history in Montreal

There are many ways to make history in tennis, and not all of them are in a good way, as Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Stefanos Tsitsipas found out at the 2022 Canadian Open recently.

History books track various achievements over the years, and there are multiple ways that an athlete can etch their name into tennis history. The preferred way is the 'good way,' where an athlete accomplishes something extraordinary that has never been done before.

For example, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, each winning 20 Grand Slam titles, is a prime example of making history in the best way possible. Nobody had done that before, and they all achieved it, cementing their legendary status.

But there’s also the 'bad way' to make history, like Bernard Tomic, who holds the record for the quickest loss in ATP history. He lost to Jarkko Nieminen in just 28 minutes, with the scoreline reading 6-0, 6-1. That’s the kind of history no player wants to be part of.

While not as extreme, Medvedev, Alcaraz, and Tsitsipas made history in a similar fashion. They were the top three seeds at the Canadian Open, held in Montreal, as all three were eliminated after their first match.

Medvedev, who was the top seed, lost to the sensational Nick Kyrgios, who continued his impressive season with another 'upset,' winning 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. Alcaraz, who was the second seed, was beaten by Tommy Paul, 7-6, 6-7, 3-6.

Both Medvedev and Alcaraz managed to win a set in their respective matches, which provides a little comfort; however, it’s still a better mark than the third member of the history-making squad.

Tsitsipas didn’t fare as well, losing in straight sets to Jack Draper, 5-7, 6-7. The three made history as it was the first time since 1999 that the top three seeds at the Canadian Open were all knocked out after their opening matches, even though not in the first round, as they had the first-round BYEs in the current format.

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