LONDON — Three-time champion Novak Djokovic has been bumped up to second seed for next week's Wimbledon Tennis Championship despite slipping to fourth in the ATP world rankings while seven-time champion Roger Federer has also benefitted.
The seedings, released by the All England Club Wednesday, have defending champion Andy Murray No. 1 in the men's singles with Germany's Angelique Kerber the women's top seed.
Wimbledon differs from the other Grand Slams, in the men's singles at least, with previous form on grass in the previous two years coming into play to re-order the top 32 in the world rankings — a system agreed by the ATP.
Spaniard Rafa Nadal, who won a 10th French Open last month, is second in the ATP rankings but will be seeded fourth at Wimbledon after a mediocre record there in recent years.
Despite winning the title twice, the 31-year-old has not been past the fourth round since 2011.
Favorite Federer, fifth on the ATP rankings, is seeded third which means he will avoid one of his biggest rivals for the title until the semifinals.
Fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka, runner-up at the French, drops to fifth seed, from his world ranking of three.
Other beneficiaries of the system include Luxembourg's grasscourt expert Gilles Muller who is seeded 16th compared to an ATP ranking of 26. Muller won the recent Den Bosch tournament and reached the semifinal at Queen's Club last week.
Queen's Club champion Feliciano Lopez, ranked 25, is seeded 19th.
The women's seeds stick strictly with the current WTA rankings. Romania's Simon Halep, who could take over the top spot this week if she wins the Eastbourne title, is seeded two.
Djokovic passes first test
Top seed Novak Djokovic passed his first grass court test of the season Wednesday, defeating Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals at Eastbourne.
The Serb is playing a pre-Wimbledon event for the first time since 2010 and will next face Donald Young of the US.
The two-time Wimbledon champion got onto court as first match after rain washed out Tuesday play — save one game in the Djokovic match — leaving organizers with a backlog to get through.
The former No. 1 claimed his fifth victory without a defeat against Pospisil, who is now 4-22 lifetime against Top 10 opponents.
Young, who also reached the quarterfinals at Queen's last week, beat fellow American Jared Donaldson 6-4, 7-5.
In the women's section, Garbine Muguruza lost 6-1, 6-0 to Barbora Strycova to continue her underwhelming run of results since winning the French Open in 2016. She hasn't reached a final of any tournament since.
Top-seeded Angelique Kerber beat Kristyna Pliskova 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the second round and was scheduled to play Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino in the third round later Wednesday.
There were second-round wins for Simona Halep, Johanna Konta and Caroline Wozniacki.
Maldini set to end pro tennis career
Former Italy and AC Milan captain Paolo Maldini's professional tennis career is likely to stop at one match after a debut he described as "like writing a poem after studying years of maths".
The 49-year-old, who only took up tennis about six years ago, acquitted himself well but he and his partner, Stefano Landonio, were well beaten, 6-1, 6-1 by Poland's Tomasz Bednarek and Dutchman David Pel in the first round of the Aspria Tennis Cup in Milan Monday. — Agencies
