NEW DELHI: Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek have been named the top seeds for the upcoming Wimbledon 2023 Championships, according to the All England Club. This decision aligns with the ATP and WTA rankings, which placed Alcaraz and Swiatek at the top of their respective categories.
The announcement comes after Alcaraz surpassed four-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the men’s rankings on Monday. Djokovic, who clinched his record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open on June 11, has not participated in any events since then. As a result, he slid down to the No. 2 spot, making way for Alcaraz to claim the top seed. Alcaraz’s recent victory in a grass-court tune-up tournament at Queen’s Club further solidified his rise in the rankings.
Djokovic has dominated Wimbledon in recent years, winning the championship title four consecutive times and a total of seven times overall.
However, in 2022, he did not receive a ranking boost due to the ATP and WTA’s decision to withhold all points in protest against the All England Club’s ban on players from Russia and Belarus, citing the invasion of Ukraine.
This year, with the ban lifted, Russian player Daniil Medvedev has been seeded third in the men’s field, while Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka holds the No. 2 seed in the women’s category.
The draw to determine the singles brackets will take place on Friday, and the tournament is set to commence on Monday.
In the men’s seedings, Casper Ruud is placed fourth among the 32 seeds, followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz, and Frances Tiafoe. Nick Kyrgios, the runner-up to Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, has been seeded 31st. However, two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, ranked 39th, will not receive a seed.
On the women’s draw, Swiatek has held the No. 1 ranking since April 2022 and boasts four Grand Slam titles, including her most recent victory at the French Open.
Despite her success, Swiatek has yet to advance beyond the fourth round at Wimbledon. Elena Rybakina, the 2022 women’s champion at the All England Club, has been seeded third among the women’s 32 seeds.
Jessica Pegula, Caroline Garcia, Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff, Maria Sakkari, Petra Kvitova, and Barbora Krejcikova complete the top ten seeds.
In a departure from previous years, the All England Club has chosen to rely solely on the rankings to determine all the seeds, abandoning the formula used from 2002 to 2019, which factored in players’ performances on grass surfaces at Wimbledon and elsewhere.