Murray leads Wimbledon seeds for title defence
Andy Murray is the top seed for the defence of his Wimbledon title as the traditional big four lead the way in the 2017 men’s singles competition.
It has been an inconsistent 2017 for the two-time SW19 champion, who was knocked out of the French Open in the semi-finals by Stan Wawrinka, but the world number one remains a leading contender for the crown.
Novak Djokovic is the second seed, but it is the third-placed Roger Federer who tops the bookmakers’ odds after he ended his five-year grand slam drought at the Australian Open, winning his 18th major.
The Swiss is a fans’ favourite at the All England Club, where the last of his seven victories came in 2012 over Murray.
With a record 10th French Open success under his belt, Rafael Nadal is the fourth seed, followed by Wawrinka and last year’s beaten finalist Milos Raonic.
Seeding announced for The Championships 2017: https://t.co/oKm1Dj4y2X#Wimbledonpic.twitter.com/936hVWDKOf
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 28, 2017
The men’s seedings are weighted according to results on grass, while the women’s are based purely on ranking, meaning the out-of-sorts Angelique Kerber – who lost the 2016 final to Serena Williams – takes top billing.
The absence of the pregnant Williams leaves Petra Kvitova as the most recent champion in the women’s draw.
The Czech recently returned to action – winning this month’s Aegon Classic – after a knife attack at her home in December and is seeded 11th.
Simona Halep is the second seed, while Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina and Caroline Wozniacki round out the top five.
Home hope Johanna Konta is the sixth seed, with French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko 13th.
