Muster angry over Wimbledon seeding

Tennis

Six days to go, and the tantrums have started already. Thomas Muster, the world No 2, was sulking yesterday about being demoted to No 7 seed in the Wimbledon men's singles.

The 28-year-old Austrian, who is competing in Halle, Germany, said: "It doesn't matter that I've never won a match at Wimbledon. I'm still No 2 in the world and I think I should be seeded, maybe three or four, but at least in the top four. I think to seed the No 2 player in the world No 7 is quite respectless.

"If we seed like this we should have a ranking for each surface. We should have a clay court ranking, a grass court ranking, then OK. But I don't think it's right that this is the only tournament that does it. I think it's a joke."

His manager-coach, Ronnie Leitgeb, said: "Never in the history of Wimbledon has a world No 2, a former No 1, been seeded so low. That's a subtle way of saying they don't want him. This is further proof that the people in Britain don't value Thomas."

Muster, who triumphed in 11 clay-court tournaments last year, including the French Open, has not won a match in four visits to the All England Club's lawns. He had not won a match on grass as a senior until he defeated the South African Marcos Ondruska during a Davis Cup tie in February, only days before the Austrian became No 1.

Last week, in the absence of Pete Sampras, the current No 1, Muster was made top seed for the Stella Artois Championships at Queen's Club, London, a tournament which abides by the ATP Tour rankings. Muster won three matches, losing in the semi-finals to Stefan Edberg, twice a Wimbledon champion.

Yesterday's Wimbledon draw projected a quarter-final between Muster and Sampras, who has won the title for the past three years. Both face potential hazards before that. Should Muster advance to the fourth round, he could find himself playing Michael Stich, the 1991 champion, who is seeded as low as No 10 in spite of reaching the French Open final.

Sampras, who opens his defence on the Centre Court at 2pm on Monday against Richey Reneberg, an American compatriot, may then face Mark Philippoussis, the Melbourne teenager who overpowered him in the third round of the Australian Open in January.

Edberg, seeded No 12 for his farewell appearance after finishing runner- up to Boris Becker at Queen's on Sunday, is in Sampras's half and is drawn to play the sixth-seeded Michael Chang in the fourth round. The Swede will do well to negotiate a first-round match against the unseeded Frenchman Guy Forget.

Tim Henman, the British No 1, has drawn the fifth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who won the French Open 11 days ago, defeating Sampras in the semi-finals. "I'm looking forward to it," Henman said, recalling that he held a set point against the Russian before losing to him in Rotterdam in March, 7-6, 6-3.

Henman, it may be remembered, lost to Sampras in the second round last year and was then disqualified while playing doubles after a ball-girl was struck by a ball he hit in anger.

Kafelnikov is projected to meet the third-seeded Andre Agassi in the quarter-finals, while Boris Becker, the No 2 seed, looks well set to advance to a possible match against Jim Courier in the last eight.

Monica Seles's first match at Wimbledon for four years will be against Ann Grossman, an American compatriot. If the seedings work out, Seles, the No 2 seed, will play Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, last year's runner up, in the semi-finals.

Steffi Graf, drawn to play Conchita Martinez in the semi-finals, opens her defence of the title against Ludmila Richterova, of the Czech Republic. The German No 1 seed could face the 15-year-old Swiss Martina Hingis in the fourth round and Jana Novotna in the quarter-finals.

Wimbledon singles draws

Men's singles

Holder: P Sampras (US)

FIRST ROUND

P SAMPRAS v R Reneberg (US); M Philippoussis (Aus) v J Frana (Arg); K Goosens (Bel) v B Black (Zimb); K Alami (Mor) v K Kucera (Slovak); J Kroslak (Slovak) v A Foster (GB); C Wilkinson (GB) v R Krajicek (Neth); M Norman (Swe) v M Petchey (GB); J Siemerink (Neth) v C PIOLINE (Fr); M STICH (Ger) v S Schalken (Neth); C Ruud (Nor) v S Matsuoka (Japan); S Stolle (Aus) v qualifier; M Woodforde (Aus) v M Larsson (Swe); qualifier v G Rusedksi (GB); qualifier v B Steven (NZ); D Rostagno (US) v J Van Herck (Bel); J Sanchez (Sp) v T MUSTER (Aut); G IVANISEVIC (Croa) v B Karbacher (Ger); qualifier v C Moya (Sp); qualifier v A Volkov (Rus); O Ogorodov (Uzb) v M Damm (Cz Rep); G Pozzi (It) v J Cunha-Silva (Por); P Rafter (Aus) v D Vacek (Cz rep); A Olhovskiy (Rus) v H Dreekman (Ger); S Draper (Aus) v M ROSSET (Swit); S EDBERG (Swe) v G Forget (Fr); M Tillstrom (Swe) v M Goellner (Ger); M Tebbutt (Aus) v A Corretja (Sp); A Chesnokov (Rus) v J Hlasek (Swit); qualifier v J Novak (Cz Rep); J Stoltenberg (Aus) v A Voinea (Rom); qualifier v D Rikl (Cz Rep); A Costa (Sp) v M CHANG (US); Y Kafelnikov (Rus) v T Henman (GB); qualifier v D Sapsford (GB); J Bjorkman (Swe) v L Milligan (GB); K Carlsen (Den) v N Lapentti (Ecu); T Woodbridge (Aus) v qualifier; M Gustafsson (Swe) v qualifier; M Joyce (US) v A Gaudenzi (It); B Prinosil (Ger) v W FERREIRA (SA); T MARTIN (US) v M Ondruska (SA); E Sanchez (Sp) v qualifier; R Furlan (It) v A Medvedev (Ukr); C Beecher (GB) v N Gould (GB); H Arazi (Mor) v N Kulti (Swe); T Johansson (Swe) v J Eltingh (Neth); qualifier v qualifier; qualifier v A AGASSI (US); J COURIER (US) v J Stark (US); M Knowles (Bah) v J Golmard (Fr); F Mantilla (Sp) v P Haarhuis (Neth); M J Bates (GB) v N Pereira (Ven); B Ulihrach (Cz Rep) v C Costa (Sp); F Dewulf (Bel) v F Spadea (US); R Fromberg (Aus) v M Washington (US); qualifier v T ENQVIST (Swe); A BOETSCH (Fr) v A Radulescu (Ger); S Pescosolido (It) v C Woodruff (US); D Wheaton (US) v F Fetterlein (Den); G Raoux (Fr) v Y El Anaoui (Mor); G Stafford (US) v S Noszaly (Hun); qualifier v C Caratti (It); F Clavet (Sp) v T Carbonell (Sp); J Fleurian (Fr) v B BECKER (Ger)

Women's singles

Holder: S Graf (Ger)

FIRST ROUND

S GRAF (Ger) v L Richterova (Cz Rep); N Baudone (It) v J Husarova (Slovakia); H Nagyova (Slovak) v N Arendt (US); C Porwik (Ger) v C Wood (GB); A Fusai (Fr) v S Dopfer (Aut); R Stubbs (Aus) v L Wild (US); R Viollet (GB) v M Miller (GB); J Nejedly (Can) v M HINGIS (Swit); M MALEEVA (Bul) v B Rittner (Ger); P Kamstra (Neth) v N Tauziat (Fr); N Zvereva (Bela) v F Lubiani (It); M De Swardt (SA) v P Hy-Boulais (Can); A Carlsson (Swe) v K Kschwendt (Ger); R Dargomir (Rom) v Y Basuki (Indon); L Courtois (Bel) v A Glass (Ger); V Martinek (Ger) v J Novotna (Cz Rep); C MARTINEZ (Sp) v S Farina (It); L Raymond (US) v A Montolio (Sp); L McNeil (US) v J Capriati (US); K Po (US) v qualifier; V Ruano-Pascual (Sp) v K Boogert (Neth); N Bradtke (Aus) v qualifier; A Sidot (Fr) v qualifier; K Nagatsuka (Japan) v K DATE (Japan); M PIERCE (Fr) v P Schnyder (Swit); J Ward (GB) v C Taylor (GB); R Hiraki (Japan) v C Singer (Ger); C Morariu (US) v M Medvedeva (Ukr); E Likhovtseva (Rus) v E Callens (Bel); A Gavaldon (Mex) v K Adams (US); L Neiland (Lat) v K Rinaldi-Stunkel (US); M Schnell (Aut) v L DAVENPORT (US); C RUBIN (US) v J Wiesner (Aut); M Werdel Witmeyer (US) v qualifier; K Nowak (Pol) v G Pizzichini (It); T Jecmenica (Yug) v G Fernandez (US); R Zrubakova (Slovakia) v S Park (Kor); A Frazier (US) v D Randriantefy (Mor); I Gorrochategui (Arg) v A Smashnova (Isr); S Smith (GB) v I SPIRLEA (Rom); B SCHULTZ-McCARTHY (Neth) v J Kruger (SA); R Bobkova (Cz Rep) v J Watanabe (US); K Habsudova (Slovakia) v M Grzybowska (Pol); N Miyagi (Japan) v S Appelmans (Bel); qualifier v M Sanchez-Lorenzo (Sp); N Sawamatsu (Japan) v N Kijimuta (Japan); M Oremans (Neth) v R Grande (It); A Serra- Zanetti (It) v A SANCHEZ VICARIO (Sp); A HUBER (Ger) v G Leon Gracia (Sp); P Shriver (US) v qualifier; K Godridge (Aus) v H Sukova (Cz Rep); qualifier v A Sugiyama (Japan); P Begerow (Ger) v B Schett (Aut); F Labat (Arg) v T Whitlinger-Jones (US); S Cacic (US) v S Testud (Fr); J Kandarr (Ger) v M Fernandez (US); A COETZER (SA) v E Wagner (Ger); M Endo (Japan) v M McGrath (US); A Dechaume-Balleret (Fr) v N Feber (Bel); A Miller (US) v P Suarez (Arg); Y Kamio (Japan) v N Dechy (Fr); D Van Roost (Bel) v qualifier; E Makarova (Rus) v K Studenikova (Slovak); A Grossman (US) v M SELES (US).

*Seeded players in capitals