Rafael Nadal is wrong. Wimbledon's seeding is not disrespectful - here's why
- Rafael Nadal was annoyed last week after Wimbledon seeded Roger Federer above him, and even said the tournament "does not respect the ranking" players had earned.
- Wimbledon uses a formula that looks only at grass court performances, and so Tim Henman, a four-time Wimbledon semifinalist, says Nadal is wrong. "It's not about respect or disrespect," he told us.
- Nadal, regarded as a clay court specialist, should not be "underrated" on grass, Henman added, and said the Spaniard would "fancy his chances" at Wimbledon.
- But Henman sees defending men's singles champion Novak Djokovic as the slight favorite to retain his crown.
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Rafael Nadal said last week that the seeding formula the Wimbledon Championships uses to determine its bracket does not respect the ranking tennis players have earned. But his frustrations are misplaced.
That is according to the four-time Wimbledon semifinalist and HSBC ambassador Tim Henman, who told Business Insider recently that "it's not about respect or disrespect. It's a grass court formula."
The formula studies performances on grass courts in recent years and uses that analysis to trump ATP rankings. Nadal was annoyed this formula pushed him down into a third seed, while elevating world number three Roger Federer into second.
This meant that by the time Friday's draw for the men's singles had been announced, Nadal had a tough run to the final having to potentially find a way past the likes of the unpredictable Nick Kyrgios, the Next-Gen talent Denis Shapovalov, and 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, before a possible semifinal showdown against Federer.
"Wimbledon is the only tournament of the year that does it like this," Nadal told the Spanish television channel Movistar at the time.
As Federer won the Halle Open last month, it bolstered his position in Wimbledon's grass-only algorithm. But Nadal said this overlooked players who had been in-form elsewhere in the season, whether clay, hardcourt, or playing indoors.
"There have been many occasions when players have played well all year on all surfaces but Wimbledon does not respect the ranking they have earned. For this reason they get more complicated draws."
Even Novak Djokovic, the best men's player on the planet right now according to the ATP, said the decision was "surprising."
Tim Henman disagrees, telling Business Insider that "it's not disrespectful in any way." He said: "There's a seeding formula that's been there for a long time. Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes it doesn't.
"I think it probably emphasizes Federer playing a bit better on grass over the years between the French Open and Wimbledon, benefiting from those grass court performances. It's not about respect or disrespect," he added. "It's a grass court formula."
Federer competed in the clay court season for the first time in three years this season, performing admirably by reaching the Madrid Open quarterfinal, the Italian Open quarterfinal, and the French Open semifinal where he was eliminated by eventual champion Nadal.
"It was impressive to come back and find his feet as it were," Henman said of Federer's ability to beat the likes of Gael Monfils, Borna Coric, and Stan Wawrinka over the three tournaments, on a surface he had been unaccustomed to for years.
"He's still playing at such a high level … it was a great performance and that does bode well for grass because the amount of balls you hit, it's just a good foundation going onto any surface. Fingers crossed he can have a good run at Wimbledon."
On who Henman sees as the men's singles winner at Wimbledon, it is hard to separate the "big three," he said, but the Englishman did single one of them out.
"Grass court records … Federer is the best over the years and will fancy his chances, but Nadal is not to be underrated. When he is fit and healthy, he made five consecutive finals that he played in. He's just a great grass court player.
"But I think Novak Djokovic is a slight favorite," Henman said. "His performances have been amazing."
Tim Henman is an ambassador for HSBC, who organized this interview, and are supporters of Wimbledon and the Ticket Resale Scheme.