How the All England Club had decided in 2020 the SACROSANCT grass seeding system would be decided by ATP computer!
Why did the All-England Club curb the grass-dependent seeding system at Wimbledon a couple of years ago?
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Wimbledon (Image via Edinburgh News)
There is a lot of noise out there, emanating from London, these days. No, it has nothing to do with the traffic jam in and around South West London, when The Championships take place for the most gripping fortnight. SW 19 is not just a postal code that is symbolic with Wimbledon, a sleepy suburb, it is also part of rich tennis history, on grass.
As one more edition of The Championships, as Wimbledon is known, begins on Monday, there is a furore, nay, uproar, over the seeding(s) for the Gentlemen, as the Alpha Males are known there. Fans are angry as if they have been robbed. How could the high priests in the All-England Club decide that Carlos (who?) Alcaraz would be seeded No.1 and not the owner of 23 Grand Slam titles, Mr Novak Djokovic. Novak is Seed 2, at the bottom of the pyramid, called the draw.
Why the Mister? Well, London believes in etiquette, good manners, and speaking English in a clipped accent with a stiff upper lip. The men who sit in the board rooms with wooden panels of the richest tapestry will wear formal stripe suits which would cost you a bomb in Pound Sterling.
Perhaps, it is that enchanting style quotient of Wimbledon which has made people fall in love, again and again, with The Championships. Oh dear, then why the departure from tradition? Does not Mr. Novak Djokovic deserve, not desire, the top seeding for next week’s high voltage action, beginning in four days? Well, Novak cares two hoots. He is more than happy, in a state of nirvana. He has won the Australian Open and the French Open, in 2023. The Serbian has skipped the grass-court warm-up events and will come straight to Centre Court after warming up at the Aorangi Park courts, nearby, maybe a few days in advance.
Will that suffice? It should suffice, for Novak has won seven Wimbledon titles, the same as Roger Federer. Yes, the same RF who today does not want to say Novak is GOAT (Greatest Of All Time). Well, Federer can say things the way he wants, for he is an individual, his own master.
Sadly, the All England Club, which used to boast of its own seeding system, has now fallen for the trap. Junk the tradition of seeding players with grass-court pedigree and simply follow the ATP rankings. That’s a job that even a clerk can do, really.
Why is there anger now, palpable that? Simply because there is history beckoning Novak. If he wins the eighth Wimbledon title, he will equal RF. Many people are maybe even wary or jealous about it. Novak has been targeted needlessly, given less love, for years. It is as if he was that once-upon-a-time babe you had. A kind of jilted lover treatment he gets from all over the world.
Why did the All-England Club curb the grass-dependent seeding system?
To be sure, Wimbledon had decided not to break tradition in July 2020. That was the time they decided, quietly, that from the 2021 Championships, Wimbledon would use the ATP rankings to decide the seeding.
“Given the quality of competition, entertainment, and modern grass courts, following detailed discussion with the player groups, the AELTC has decided that the grass court seeding formula used since 2002 has served its time,” the club said in 2020. This can be found on the official Wimbledon Twitter handle as well.
“From The Championships 2021, seeding for the Gentlemen’s singles draw will be based solely on ranking. There will be no change to the method of seeding for the Ladies’ singles draw.” That is what Wimbledon has done, just roll over the computer ranking list and put out the seeding. Obviously, they did a deal with the ATP and the players three years ago. Breaking it would have been dicey. Then again, last year, Wimbledon was unfair to Ukraine players and got shafted. The biggest Grand Slam in the tennis world was held minus ranking points.
It’s a whole ecosystem out there, Wimbledon cannot do something different where they have promised the ATP something. That is why this debate, this outrage, the brouhaha over a nobody (Alcaraz) getting top billing over Novak hurts. This would not have happened a few years ago.
Sadly, Wimbledon, with wealth in abundance, realizes, they have to also follow certain rules. They did not attempt breaking the seeding pattern, this time. Had they done it, the ATP and other players would have got angry. Maybe, Carlos Alcaraz will himself feel out of place, when he steps on Centre Court, not Novak Djokovic.
Sometimes, silence is more important than being loud. Wimbledon is doing that right now, on seeding(s). How does it matter? Hardly does, other than the prestige of being the No.1 seed. Novak does not need it. He will be a favorite for the title, as always. The lean, mean guy from Serbia will let the racquet do the talking. Soon.
Quiet please, thank you.
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)