Seven-times Wimbledon champion Serena Williams has been controversially seeded 25th at this year’s tournament, which starts on Monday, despite being only 183 in current world rankings.
The ranking means Williams, 36, and a winner in 2016, will avoid many of the big names until the third round.
World No.1 Simona Halep is top seed in the women’s singles with 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza at three.
Defending champion Roger Federer tops the men’s seeds even though Spaniard Rafael Nadal knocked him off top spot in the rankings earlier this week.
The All England Club’s seedings committee met earlier this week to decide whether to break from the WTA rankings and seed Williams, who was absent last year because of her pregnancy.
Williams does enjoy so e protection from the ranking system in that she can enter the grand slams without having to qualify, but it does not automatically mean she can be given a seeded position.
At the French Open last month, she reached the fourth round before pulling out before her match against Russian Maria Sharapova.
[quote]The move has split the tennis world with many saying her seeding is unfair.[/quote]
Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, the player most disadvantaged by the decision as she would have taken the last seeded spot.
Unless a seed withdraws before the start Cibulkova could now potentially face Halep, or Williams, in the first round.
“I think it’s now right that WTA offers a protected ranking. I think that’s good. But I think this is a little bit of a different story,” she said at the Eastbourne championships.
“Why should I not be seeded if I have the right to be?
“I think if it was a different player, not her, I think she would not be seeded. It’s just because she won it many times and she’s Serena Williams. So I think that’s why.”
British No.1’s Johanna Konta and Kyle Edmund – the latter of whom is the world number 18 – are seeded 22nd in their respective draws.
Because of different rules in the two draws, Andy Murray cannot be seeded as he sits outside the top 32 in the rankings. Britain’s three-time Grand Slam champion is returning from a hip injury.
[one_half]
Wimbledon 2018 seedings
Men’s singles
1. Roger Federer
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Marin Cilic
4. Alexander Zverev
5. Juan Martin del Potro
6. Grigor Dimitrov
7. Dominic Thiem
8. Kevin Anderson
9. John Isner
10. David Goffin
11. Sam Querrey
12. Novak Djokovic
13. Milos Raonic
14. Roberto Bautista Agut
15. Diego Schwartzman
16. Nick Kyrgios
17. Borna Coric
18. Lucas Pouille
19. Jack Sock
20. Fabio Fognini
21. Pablo Carreno Busta
22. Kyle Edmund
23. Adrian Mannarino
24. Richard Gasquet
25. Kei Nishikori
26. Hyeon Chung
27. Philipp Kohlschreiber
28. Denis Shapovalov
29. Damir Dzumhur
30. Filip Krajinovic
31. Marco Cecchinato
32. Fernando Verdasco
[/one_half]
[one_half_last]
Women’s singles
1. Simona Halep
2. Caroline Wozniacki
3. Garbine Muguruza
4. Sloane Stephens
5. Elina Svitolina
6. Caroline Garcia
7. Karolina Pliskova
8. Petra Kvitova
9. Venus Williams
10. Madison Keys
11. Angelique Kerber
12. Jelena Ostapenko
13. Julia Goerges
14. Daria Kasatkina
15. Elise Mertens
16. Coco Vandeweghe
17. Ashleigh Barty
18. Naomi Osaka
19. Magdalena Rybarikova
20. Kiki Bertens
21. Anastasija Sevastova
22. Johanna Konta
23. Barbora Strycova
24. Maria Sharapova
25. Serena Williams
26. Daria Gavrilova
27. Carla Suarez Navarro
28. Anett Kontaveit
29. Mihaela Buzarnescu
30. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
31. Shuai Zhang
32. Agnieszka Radwanksa
[/one_half_last]
