The top eight men's seeds

1 LLEYTON HEWITT

Born: Adelaide, Australia, 24 Feb 1981.
Lives: Adelaide.
Height: 5ft 11in.
Weight: 10st 5lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £7.7m.
Wimbledon record: 3rd rd (1999), 1, 4, W.

Lost his Stella Artois title after reigning at Queen's for three years, and has not been at his best in recent months. Like his great Australian predecessors, he rates Wimbledon above all other championships and will fight for every point in an attempt to hold on to the crown.

2 ANDRE AGASSI

Born: Las Vegas, USA, 29 April 1970.
Lives: Las Vegas.
Height: 5ft 11in.
Weight: 11st 8lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £18.5m.
Wimbledon record: 1st rd (1987), - , - , -, QF, W, QF, 4, SF, 1, - , 2, F, SF, SF, 2.

Better prepared on grass than ever before going into Wimbledon, and recently reinstalled, aged 33, as the oldest world No 1 in the history of the ATP rankings. The Australian Open champion will be a sentimental favourite again on the courts he used to shun as a brash youngster but has grown to revere.

3 JUAN CARLOS FERRERO

Born: Onteniente, Spain, 12 Feb 1980.
Lives: Villena, Spain.
Height: 6ft.
Weight: 11st 4lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £4.96m.
Wimbledon record: 3rd rd (2001), 2.

A splendid clay-court season saw him win the Monte Carlo Masters and triumph at the French Open, where he was the runner-up in 2002. That has fired this superb ground-stroker's ambitions to excel in other major tournaments, whatever the surface. He is pushing Agasssi and Hewitt for the world No 1 spot.

4 ROGER FEDERER

Born: Basle, Switzerland, 8 Aug 1981.
Lives: Bottmingen, Swit.
Height: 6ft 1in.
Weight: 12st 6lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £3.14m.
Wimbledon record: 1st rd (1999), 1, QF, 1.

A player who has everything except a Grand Slam singles title. He has won tournaments on every surface, and goes into The Championships with the encouragement of a success on the grass courts in Halle, Germany. Remembered at Wimbledon for defeating Pete Sampras in the fourth round in 2001.

5 ANDY RODDICK

Born: Omaha, Nebraska, USA, 30 Aug 1982.
Lives: Boca Raton, Florida.
Height: 6ft 2in.
Weight: 13st 5lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £1.7m.
Wimbledon record: 3rd rd (2001), 3.

Expected to build on his success at the Stella Artois Championships, where he defeated Agassi for the first time in the semi-finals and also equalled Greg Rusedski's world record serve of 149 mph. Well beaten by Rusedski in the third round at Wimbledon last year, Roddick has improved his backhand and service returns since then.

6 DAVID NALBANDIAN

Born: Cordoba, Argentina, 1 Jan 1982.
Lives: Cordoba.
Height: 5ft 11in.
Weight: 12st 5lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £1.02m.
Wimbledon record: F (2002)

Became an inspiration for all Latin players after advancing to the final last year. Although well beaten by Hewitt in the Championship match, his progress was seen as an indication of how slow the courts were playing. He would face Tim Henman, the British No 1, if both reach the fourth round.

7 GULLERMO CORIA

Born: Rufino, Argentina, 13 Jan 1982.
Lives: Venado Tuerto, Arg.
Height: 5ft 9in.
Weight: 10st 3lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £1.1m.
Wimbledon record: 1st rd (2001), -.

One of the players who would have been encouraged by his compatriot Nalbanian's display at Wimbledon last year. Diminutive by modern tennis standards, but exceptionally quick and talented, Coria outplayed Agassi at the French Open before being overwhelmed by the powerful Dutchman Martin Verkerk in the semi-finals.

8 SJENG SCHALKEN

Born: Weert, Netherlands, 8 Sept 1976.
Lives: Monte Carlo.
Height: 6ft 3in.
Weight: 13st 2lb.
Plays: Right-handed.
Prize-money: £2.86m.
Wimbledon record: 1st rd (1995), 1, 1, 1, 3, 3, 3, QF.

The only player to take a set off Hewitt - two sets, in fact - during last year's Championships, recovering from two sets to love down in the quarter-finals before losing, 7-5, in the fifth. The lanky Dutchman is in Federer's quarter and Hewitt's half in this year's draw.