(Reuters) – Novak Djokovic will bid to win a men’s record-extending 24th Grand Slam crown when Wimbledon gets underway next month but while the Serb has won the last four titles at the All England Club he will be seeded second behind Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic drew level with Rafa Nadal on 22 majors by winning the Australian Open and moved ahead of the injured Spaniard when he claimed the French Open.
Victory in London would see Djokovic match Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles but he faces a strong challenge from Alcaraz, who reclaimed the world number one ranking from the Serb by winning the Queen’s Club title on Sunday.
The Spaniard had ceded top spot to Djokovic after the French Open, where he lost to the 36-year-old in the semi-finals after suffering from severe cramp.
The duo will look to take their rivalry to another level after largely being kept apart earlier in the year due to injuries and with Djokovic unable to play in the U.S. hardcourt swing due to his COVID vaccination stance.
Russian Daniil Medvedev will be the third seed and compatriot Andrey Rublev seventh, as both players return to Wimbledon after organisers lifted a ban on players from Russia and Belarus.
Players from the two countries were barred from last year’s Championships after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.
Cameron Norrie, a semi-finalist last year, is seeded 13th and will lead the British charge. Twice champion Andy Murray, who has resurrected his career after hip resurfacing surgery, had his hopes of being seeded dashed following his early exit at Queen’s.
Seedings for the singles tournament at Wimbledon are based on world rankings, which are as follows:
1 – Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
2 – Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
3 – Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
4 – Casper Ruud (Norway)
5 – Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
6 – Holger Rune (Denmark)
7 – Andrey Rublev (Russia)
8 – Jannik Sinner (Italy)
9 – Taylor Fritz (U.S.)
10 – Frances Tiafoe (U.S.)
11 – Karen Khachanov (Russia)
12 – Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada)
13 – Cameron Norrie (Britain)
14 – Borna Coric (Croatia)
15 – Lorenzo Musetti (Italy)
16 – Alex de Minaur (Australia)
17 – Tommy Paul (U.S.)
18 – Hubert Hurkacz (Poland)
19 – Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina)
20 – Pablo Carreno Busta (Spain)
21 – Alexander Zverev (Germany)
22 – Jan-Lennard Struff (Germany)
23 – Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain)
24 – Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)
25 – Sebastian Korda (U.S.)
26 – Alexander Bublik (Kazakhstan)
27 – Yoshihito Nishioka (Japan)
28 – Nicolas Jarry (Chile)
29 – Denis Shapovalov (Canada)
30 – Daniel Evans (Britain)
31 – Tallon Griekspoor (Netherlands)
32 – Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Argentina)
(Compiled by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
