The upsets came thick and fast on day two at the Aegon Championships. Reigning Wimbledon champion Andy Murray crashed out in the first round for the first time since 2012 on a disastrous day for the top seeds at the Queen’s Club.

The world No.1 was beaten 7-6(4), 6-2 by lucky loser Jordan Thompson, drafted in just hours earlier to replace the injured Aljaz Bedene, following earlier defeats for second and third seeds Stan Wawrinka and Milos Raonic. The Swiss No.2 seed fell to Feliciano Lopez 7-6(4), 7-5, after wild card Thanasi Kokkinakis had beaten Raonic, last year’s Wimbledon singles finalist, 7-6(5), 7-6(8). All three now face the prospect of heading to The Championships without a tour-level win on grass this season.

With two Australians and a Spaniard coming out on top against a Canadian, a Scot and a Swiss, it’s tempting to wonder what role the heatwave currently beating down on London might have had on events in the west of the capital. In truth, the time spent on court prior to these first round showdowns at Queen’s may offer a more rational explanation: all three seeds were playing their first matches on grass, while all three victors were playing in their second or third event on the surface this season.

None had played more matches on the green stuff than world No.90 Thompson, who reached the final at Surbiton before falling in the first round at s-Hertogenbosch a week ago. With a win and a loss in qualifying at Queen’s before his midday call-up, the 23-year-old’s showdown with Murray was his ninth grass-court match of 2017 – and as the world No.1 noted, it showed.

“He moves well and serves well,” said Murray, who failed to break his opponent’s serve for the first time in 136 matches. “That's two important things to do on the grass. A lot of guys struggle a little bit with the movement, but he's quick. He served well and got a lot of free points from his serve, but I also feel like I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the second set and gifted him a few points which I wouldn't normally do.”

It was an uncharacteristically ragged display from Murray, whose forehand and decision-making were both wayward for long stretches of the two-hour contest. The five-time champion has not fallen in the first round at Queen’s since 2012. “A big blow, for sure,” he conceded.

“Obviously this tournament has given me great preparation in the past, and when I have done well here, Wimbledon has tended to go pretty well, too. It’s not ideal obviously, but guys have in the past also gone in to Wimbledon having not won lots of matches. Novak [Djokovic], a number of times, hasn't played any warm-up tournaments and played very well there.

“There’s no guarantees that I won't do well at Wimbledon, but it certainly would have helped to have had more matches. That's always been the case for me. At this event when I've got matches, it's certainly helped at Wimbledon.”

Neither Thompson nor Kokkinakis, ranked No.698 as he continues his comeback from a lengthy injury layoff, had beaten a top 10 opponent before. Now both have the biggest wins of their fledgling careers, scattering last year’s Wimbledon finalists with straight-sets wins. Asked where the win ranked, Thompson was in no doubt: “Beating the world No.1 and Grand Slam champion, and beating him on grass at Queen's, yeah, it's definitely ranked No.1.”

Kokkinakis weathered a barrage of booming serves and saved nine break points and three set points en route to victory over world No.6 Raonic, with the “best win of my career,” coming just weeks after the 21-year-old contemplated walking away from the game. 

“I was being serious,” said Kokkinakis, who considered quitting shortly before the French Open. “I'm usually not a hot head, but in practice a couple weeks leading into it, I was just breaking racquets every day and that's not me. I was just hating it. Winning and playing well in practice was good, but then it wasn't translating. I just didn't feel that confident. I felt like some of those issues I was having a long time were still there, and I just wasn't feeling great with my game.

“I'm just trying to enjoy it out there, that's the biggest thing for me. Obviously a win like today helps. Again, I have shown my level in practice, but you want to win. Practice sucks. Winning a match, that actually means something. It's a good feeling.”

Raonic was philosophical in defeat, admitting the improvements necessary before The Championships were clear: “Don't get caught too far behind the baseline, hit the damn ball, and move forward every chance you have.

“The disappointment is high right now, but whatever the result was this week, I don't think that's really going to change my chances,” the Canadian added.

“Honestly, if this was three-out-of-five today, it's a scenario I feel even more comfortable in, because I really do believe a lot of my game can give me more time to figure out the situation to deal with it a little bit better. But it's not. So I will go into Wimbledon with a lot of confidence, because I have prepared really well.”

While Murray’s exit was a shock and Raonic’s loss constituted an upset, Wawrinka’s defeat by Lopez came as far less of a surprise. The Spaniard, who currently owns the longest active streak of Grand Slam appearances at 61 and counting, was a finalist in Stuttgart on Sunday and at Queen’s in 2014; Wawrinka reached the semi-finals that same year, but that remains the only time he has progressed beyond the first round of the Aegon Championships in four attempts.

“For sure I would have loved to play more matches here,” admitted the 32-year-old, twice a quarter-finalist at The Championships. “That's a fact. But I think it's also different. It's going to be a Grand Slam. I have now almost two weeks on the grass, more than the five days already done, so I'm going to spend a lot of time on the practice court to be ready for the next one.”

This year’s Wimbledon campaign carries an added significance for Wawrinka. He returns as the reigning US Open champion, which, coupled with his triumphs at the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open, leaves the Gentlemen’s Singles Trophy as the one piece of Grand Slam silverware missing from his collection.

A fourth major title at The Championships would see the man from Lausanne join the likes of compatriot Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi and Rod Laver as the sixth man to complete the career slam in the Open era. In preparation, the Swiss has hired Paul Annacone, former coach to Federer, Pete Sampras and Tim Henman, to consult him during the grass court swing.

“I have known Paul for many, many years,” Wawrinka said. “I spent some time with him when he was with Roger also, here in London – the Olympics, especially. So I knew him, and I'm sure he can help us to make me improve.

“At that level and that age, a small detail can make a big difference, and we are not looking to change big things. We are just looking to keep improving and keep seeing the big picture for long term.”

In the short term, Wawrinka’s focus is on reaching The Championships fit and well-rested after his run to the French Open final. “I was feeling good after Paris – tired, especially mentally,” admitted the Swiss, who may miss out on a top-four seeding depending on Federer’s results in Halle this week.

“But for two days I had some knee pain because of the change of the surface. When you arrive on grass, you need to be careful. I need to be careful to make sure it doesn't bother me too long.”