Grand Slam seeding finds favour

Greg Rusedski backs the seeding changes

By Andrew Warshaw at Queen's Club.

To seed or not to seed?

That was the burning question being asked throughout the tennis world on Monday after Wimbledon tore up the rule book and came up with a radical new seeding system.

Starting with this year's All England championships, all four Grand Slam events will seed the leading 32 men and women in the world - instead of 16 - based on their ranking.

I like the idea - it gives more guys the chance to get to the third round

  Greg Rusedski

Only then will the 32 seeds be adjusted up and down to reflect individual form on different surfaces.

The change means that, in Wimbledon's case, players in the top 32 will not be under threat of being replaced by a lower-ranked player who happens to be a grass-court specialist.

"I like the idea," said British number two Greg Rusedksi. "It gives more guys the chance to get to the third round."

Theoretically, the ruling should put a halt to clay-court experts boycotting Wimbledon this year.

But French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, the world number one, has already announced he won't play.

While other baseline kings like Alex Corretja and Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain have yet to indicate whether they will follow suit.

I don't think the new rule is ideal for the clay-court players but the good thing is that it is being introduced at all the Grand Slams

  John Lloyd

Former British Davis Cup player John Lloyd, once ranked 21st in the world, said the new ruling was a positive move.

"It stops all the messing around that's been going on," Lloyd told BBC Sport Online.

"It stops Wimbledon making judgements on seedings which they were not qualified to do.

"Now it's done objectively on grass-court points. They can't change it around and play favourites any more," he said.

"I don't think the new rule is ideal for the clay-court players but the good thing is that it is being introduced at all the Grand Slams.

"That means you will never get a situation where Pete Sampras is number one at the French.

Kuerten: 'A disgrace'

"If anything, they had more right to change the seedings than Wimbledon because they had more data to go on."

Lloyd described Kuerten's decision not play at Wimbledon as "a disgrace".

"He says he needs a rest so why not take a week off? If it was the French coming up, I guarantee you that if he had two weeks to recover, he'd be there."

But not everyone was in favour of what is a complicated procedure for average fans to get to grips with.

Dutchman Sjeng Schalken says the administrators should have left well alone.

"I think it's a bit too much," he said.

"You should either do it one way based on the rankings or the other way like Wimbledon used to. I can't see what was wrong with the old system."