Wimbledon: Seeding at All England Club is disrespectful, says Rafael Nadal

The Spaniard is set to be seeded below Roger Federer despite his higher world ranking

World No 2 Rafael Nadal has hit out at Wimbledon’s seeding criteria after it was reported that the Spaniard will be seeded below Roger Federer for this year’s Championship.

The All England Club does not rely solely on world rankings to determine the seeds but also implements a unique surface-based system.

This is set to play in Federer’s favour – despite Nadal’s recent French Open victory and higher ATP ranking – with the eight-time Wimbledon champion now likely to face an easier route to the final.

But the Spaniard has called on the SW19 Championship to fall in line with the rest of the ATP Tour’s tournaments.

“I think it’s the usual thing,” he told Movistar Plus. “Wimbledon is the only tournament of the year that they do what they want in that sense, with their own criteria.

“Whether I’m two or three, I’ll have to play at my best. I will accept being three if they see it that way and I will fight to try to win my matches.

“The only thing that does not seem right to me about this story is that it is only Wimbledon that does it, only one tournament.

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“It has not only happened to me, it has happened to other players. They do not respect the status that some players have earned throughout the season.”

World No 1 and reigning Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will be top seed at this year’s tournament, though Nadal believes the usual suspects all stand a chance.

“The candidates to win I suppose are [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, and there are young players who are playing well,” he said.

“We’ll have to see how they compete.

“It’s a special tournament, different from the rest, and there are more chances of a surprise. It’s a unique tournament.”