Wimbledon organisers have released the seedings for this year’s tournament as the action begins at the All England Club.
Organisers had a chance to use an alternative method to create a more balanced draw, but opted to follow the world rankings to rank the 32 best players at the 2021 Wimbledon championships.
Ash Barty leads the seeds, the world number one taking up her place as the number one seed and the favourite in the Wimbledon women’s odds 2021. The Australian, French open champion in 2019, was forced to retire injured at Roland Garros this time around and has never gone beyond round four at SW19 and has not played since.
Despite that setback, former Australian compatriot Jalena Dokic says that Barty still has a good chance in the tournament.
“She’s got the type of game where she is aggressive, but she does not play extra risky tennis. She has a lot more shape and safety, she has Plan B, C, D and E,” said Dokic. “I think it’s just a matter of time before she goes really deep, and I actually wouldn’t be surprised if it happens this year, even with her injury and the uncertainty of it.”
2019 champion Simona Halep takes up her spot behind Barty as the number two seed behind the Australian in the absence of Naomi Osaka, whilst 23-year-old Aryna Sabalenka and Elina Svitolina sit seeds three and four, both looking for their first Grand Slam titles.
Serena Williams, who these days mainly conserves her energy for the major tournaments, comes into Wimbledon as the seventh seed as she attempts to end her run of four years without a major. She sits behind 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the sixth seed and 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in fifth.
The seedings are littered with former Grand Slam and Wimbledon champions. 2020 French Open champion Iga Świątek takes the eighth seed, whilst just outside the top ten sit former Wimbledon champions Petra Kvitova and Garbine Muguruza in 10th and 11th respectively.
The only female seeded Brit in the draw is Johanna Konta at 28. Attempting to work her way back towards her career high ranking of 4 in 2017, the current world number 30 won her first title in four years at the Nottingham Open earlier in June, setting her grass court season off to the perfect start.
The 30-year-old is yet to go past the semi-final of a Grand Slam after final-four appearances at three of the four majors, but has not been past the second round of a major since quarter-final defeat at the US Open in 2019.
Konta mirrors Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie as seeds in the men’s tournament, making this the first year since 1978 that three Brits have been seeded at Wimbledon.
The Australian-born Brit sits two places behind former world number one and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber, who won Wimbledon just three years ago and is the lowest seed to have won the tournament previously.
The draw will take place on Friday 25th June, with the tournament getting underway on Monday 28th June.