Rafael Nadal no fan of Wimbledon seedings system: 'I don't think it's a good thing
Unlike the other three grand slam events, Wimbledon does not stick to the ATP and WTA world rankings when deciding the seeds
June 25, 2019
Rafael Nadal has admitted that he is not a supporter of Wimbledon's unique seedings formula as the world No 2 faces the prospect of dropping to third seed for the 2019 tournament.
Unlike the other three grand slam events - Australian Open, French Open, and US Open - Wimbledon does not stick to the ATP and WTA world rankings when deciding the seeds for the grass court major, which begins this year on July 1.
Wimbledon will announce the seedings on Wednesday when it is likely Nadal could find himself seeded third behind defending champion and world No 1 Novak Djokovic and eight-time champion Roger Federer, who is currently third in the world rankings.
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"Wimbledon is the only tournament of the year that doesn't follow the ranking," the 33-year-old Nadal told Spanish TV station #Vamos on Tuesday.
"It is their choice. Either way, being second or third seed, I have to play at the best level to aspire to the things I aspire to. It is better to be second than third, but if they consider that I have to be third I will accept.
"I don't think it's a good thing that Wimbledon is the only one with its own seeding formula."
Nadal, a two-time champion at the All England Club, lost a semi-final epic to Djokovic last year but in the five previous appearances never got past the last-16 round.
If the 12-time French Open champion is dropped to third it means he could potentially have to beat both Djokovic and Federer to claim his first Wimbledon title since 2010.
The top 32 players on the ATP ranking list, who are present at Wimbledon, will take the seeded places, but a formula using results on grass for the past 24 months can change the order.
"The only thing that doesn't seem right to me is that it's just Wimbledon that does it. If everyone did it, I think it would be appropriate or correct," said Nadal, who has chosen to not to compete in any warm-up tournaments for Wimbledon, instead opting to adapt to grass by training at the Country Club in his native Mallorca.
The women's seedings follow the WTA ranking list but can be tweaked to produce "a balanced draw".
Serena Williams was ranked No 183 ahead of last year's tournament but was handed a seeding of 25. It was a change that proved justified after the seven-time Wimbledon champion reached the final where she lost to Germany's Angelique Kerber.
Published: June 25, 2019 05:44 PM
