Sharapova, Ivanovic and Jankovic were all eliminated before the quarter-finals

Ana Ivanovic, world number one, and third seed Maria Sharapova were eliminated last week by players ranked well outside the top 100, while Jelena Jankovic, second seed, and Svetlana Kuznetsova, world number four, fell in the last 16 on Monday.

"I think it's reflective of the unprecedented depth in women's tennis. It's the first grand slam where the top four seeds did not make it through to the quarter-finals," Scott told Reuters.

"It wasn't that long ago that you would have been pretty confident predicting which players were going to be in the final or at least the semi-finals. Women's tennis today is vastly different.

"There is different kind of depth and variety in the game and lot more personalities capable of winning at any moment."

The shock exits at Wimbledon meant there was a distinctly unfamiliar look to the women's quarter-finals lineup.

World number 133 Zheng Jie, conqueror of Ivanovic, kept up her remarkable run by defeating Czech Nicole Vaidisova; Serena Williams beat Polish teenager Agnieszka Radwanska; fifth seed Elena Dementieva, the highest seed left, defeated fellow Russian Nadia Petrova; and defending champion Venus Williams eased past Thailand's Tamarine Tanasugarn.

Depth of field

"It's very exciting [to see] the depth of the stars. You've still got Venus and Serena in the semi-finals but there are lot of exciting next generation stars coming through," said Scott.

"This is just a golden age in women's tennis. This year's Wimbledon is a shining example of the amazing depth right now."

While women receive equal prize money Wimbledon, which was awarded for the first time in 2007, many of the top players feel it is difficult to cope with the rigours of the tour.

Over the last 14 months Belgians Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin quit in their prime, Clijsters aged just 23 and Henin, while still ranked world number one, aged 25.

Scott admitted the demands on the top players could be unforgiving but hoped plans to shorten the season from 2009, when the 25 Tier I and II events will be trimmed to 20, would ease their concerns.

"The circuit is gruelling these days. Not just the length of the season but also the style of play being more and more physical all the time and with the depth of competition increasing, the way the players are tested early in the tournament, all conspires to break down players' bodies," he said.

"The most important aspect of our Roadmap is a healthier calendar.

"So we're shortening the season, there is more logical scheduling with less changes of surface and we're reducing the amount the players have to play."

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