World No.2 Rafael Nadal has said it ‘doesn’t seem right’ that Wimbledon has their own rules when it comes to deciding where a player will be seeded at the grand slam.
Nadal, who hasn’t played a competitive match since winning the French Open, is currently ranked second in the world. However, at The All England Club he will be the third seed based on the seeding formula. Meaning he will likely play Novak Djokovic in the semifinals should they both reach that stage. The formula takes into account all the points players have won at grass-court events over the past 12 months and 75% of the points won at those events played 12 months prior.
“It’s the usual thing,” Nadal said during an interview with Movistar Plus.
“Wimbledon is the only tournament of the year where they do whatever they want (with the seedings) in that sense.
“Whatever it is, whether I’m two or three, I’ll have to be at my best and will fight to win the games I’m involved in.
“The only thing that doesn’t seem right is that it’s only Wimbledon that does this. It’s not just for me, it’s for other players too.
“They don’t respect the status that players have earned throughout the season.”
Overtaking Nadal in second spot is eight-time champion Roger Federer. Following his win against David Goffin in Halle on Sunday, the Swiss insisted that the boost to his seeding makes little difference to his chances of winning. Federer has won the title more than any other person in the history of men’s tennis.
“It might make no difference if Rafa is in my section,” he said.
“I guess you could say I avoid Novak in the semis. But at the end of the day that is so far away.
“What it helps me [to do] is plan earlier. That’s it.”
This year Nadal is bidding to win his third Wimbledon trophy and first since 2010. He hasn’t played in the final at The All England Club since 2011, but did reach the semi-finals last year. He is the only man from his country to win the Championships in the Open Era.
Looking ahead to this year’s draw, Nadal believes there are ‘more chances of a surprise’ in the major compared to the others. However, Wimbledon has been won by a member of the Big four for the past 16 years. The last person to buckle that trend was Lleyton Hewitt back in 2002.
“The candidates to win I suppose are [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, and there are young players who are playing well,” Nadal previewed.
“We’ll have to see how they compete.
“It’s a special tournament, different from the rest, and there are more chances of a surprise. It’s a unique tournament.”
The Wimbledon Championships will get underway on Monday. Officials will publish the list of men’s seeds tomorrow.
How are the men’s seeds calculated?
- Take the ATP Ranking points at 24 June 2019
- Add 100% of the points earned for all grass court tournaments in the immediate past 12 months period prior to 24 June 2019
- Add 75% of the points earned for the best grass court tournament in the 12 months prior to that
