Wimbledon 2018: world No.449 Serena Williams could be top seed

Seven-time champion dropped down the rankings after having a baby last year

Serena Williams Wimbledon titles tennis world ranking
Serena Williams won the last of her seven Wimbledon singles titles in 2016
(Image credit: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)

Serena Williams could be ranked as No.1 seed at Wimbledon this year, the BBC reports, despite the possibility she may not be in the world’s top 32 by the time the tournament starts in July.

The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion has dropped to No.449 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings having taken time away from the sport to have a baby.

The Times reports that there had been confusion at yesterday’s press conference when All England Club officials were asked if Williams could be considered for one of the 32 seedings.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

All England Club chairman Philip Brook and chief executive Richard Lewis had initially replied that “they believed Williams had to be ranked within the world top 32 a week before the championships”. But after a Times journalist said there was no mention of this point in the tournament guidelines, a statement was issued to clarify the rules.

See more

An All England Club spokeswoman said: “The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list except where, in the opinion of the committee, a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw.

“Therefore it is reasonable to state that the committee would have the discretion to seed a player for the championships, regardless of their WTA ranking. This discussion would take place at the seeding meeting on 26 June.”

The Guardian’s tennis correspondent Kevin Mitchell believes Williams should be seeded at Wimbledon “for the good of the game”. Mitchell writes: “Having clarified that they can offer the seven-time Wimbledon champion a seeding, the All England Club must do the right thing or risk being seen to punish someone for having a baby.”

See more

2018 prize fund increases

This year’s Championships take place from 2 to 15 July and it was announced that there will be an increase in prize money for the 2018 tournament.

The 2018 total prize money fund has increased by 7.6% to £34m. Last year the total prize fund was £31.6m. The ladies’ and gentlemen’s singles champions will receive £2.25m - an increase from £2.2m in 2017.

Continue reading for free

We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.

Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.