Serena gets seeding at Wimbledon, but not at French Open

May 23, 2018 06:00 am

Serena Williams will almost certainly be seeded at this year's Wimbledon championships despite being snubbed by French Open organisers, the All England Club confirmed yesterday.

The American is expected to play at next week's Roland Garros, where she has won the title thrice, but without being seeded she could meet reigning champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round.

The French Tennis Federation confirmed yesterday that its seedings would be based on the latest WTA rankings.

Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, is ranked 453rd after returning this year from having a baby.

Despite her lowly ranking, she will be able to compete at Roland Garros under the WTA's protected ranking rule, which allows athletes returning from long absences to gain entry into tournaments using the ranking they had when they stopped playing. - REUTERS