Serena made to wait over seeding on her comeback
LONDON: Wimbledon chiefs have admitted they will hold an internal debate to clarify if seven-time champion Serena Williams can be seeded at Wimbledon.
Williams is currently 449th in the WTA rankings after taking time off to get married and have her first child last year.
Following the difficult birth of daughter Alexis Olympia, which left the American star fearing she might die after developing blood clots, Serena has played only two singles tournaments.
The 36-year-old lost to her sister Venus in the last 32 at Indian Wells and was beaten by Naomi Osaka in Miami first round.
However, Miami Open tournament director James Blake said recently that the 23-time Grand Slam winner had been “punished” for wanting to start a family. The WTA provides players returning from injury layoffs or pregnancy with a ‘protected ranking’ that can be used to enter tournaments, but not for seeding at those tournaments.
Players can enter eight events using the ranking they had when they left, including for two Premier Mandatory events and two Grand Slams.
But players who hold the protected ranking for any reason, on both the men’s and women’s tours, can’t be seeded even if their protected ranking merits it.
Serena have a good case to be seeded at both the French Open and especially Wimbledon, given her remarkable record.
However, Victoria Azarenka, a two-time Grand Slam winner, wasn’t seeded when she returned to tennis in 2017 after
It’s a good detailed We know for the top question (seeding) 32 we are adjusting that we will for sure for the surface based address at our meeting. It seeding. For the ladies we is totally different from an don’t have that issue. So injury. We have empathy maybe those words didn’t and sympathy for the point refer to the 32 because being made. they didn’t need to.
PHILIP BROOK, All England Club chairman
giving birth in 2016. “It’s a good detailed question that we will for sure address at our meeting,” All England Club chairman Philip Brook told reporters at Wimbledon’s spring press conference.
“It is totally different from an injury. We have empathy and sympathy for the point being made. Our understanding is that if a player is outside the top 32 in terms of their ranking, then they will not be seeded.”
Wimbledon’s seeding guidelines appeared to give leeway to allow Serena to be among the 32 seeds, but Brook said that wasn’t necessarily the case.
“We know for the top 32 we are adjusting for the surface based seeding. For the ladies we don’t have that issue.”