London: Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams were named top seeds for Wimbledon on Wednesday as two-time champion Rafael Nadal was seeded at 10, his lowly place reflecting his recent struggles.
Defending champion Djokovic and five-time winner Williams are both current world number ones and their top billing was a formality.
Former number one Nadal, the Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010, has endured a miserable record at the All England Club in recent times, losing in the second, first and fourth round on his last three visits.
He was dethroned as French Open champion this season and, despite winning the grass-court title in Stuttgart, he was then bundled out of Queen’s by Ukrainian journeyman Alexander Dolgopolov in his opening match.
As 10th seed, Nadal could play one of his major rivals such as Djokovic, seven-time champion Roger Federer or 2013 winner Andy Murray as early as the fourth round at Wimbledon. (AFP)
