French Open Decides Not To Change Rafael Nadal’s Seeding

Written by: Staff on 6th May 2013

French Open Decides Not To Change Rafael Nadal’s Seeding |

World No. 5 Rafael Nadal will not have his seed bumped up at Roland Garros, or this week in Madrid or next week in Rome, even though the seven time French Open champion is clearly the best clay court player of his generation.

Roland Garros tournament director Gilbert Ysern said that had the Grand Slam decided to change Nadal’s seeding that it would have lead to chaos, therefore a committee decided to stay with its usual formula of seeding players based on the rankings.

“Given what is Nadal in Paris, the best player in the history of the tournament, it seemed incongruous that he’d come in here with a number 4 or 5,” Ysern told L’Equipe. “The damage was done, so we would have been talking about fiddling of the draw. What would have been viewed as a strong symbol –actually homage – was being seen as underhanded.”

Nadal still does have a chance to pass No. 4 David Ferrer in the rankings prior to Roland Garros, but he’s 985 points behind him so he will have to do very well at Madrid and Rome and hope that Ferrer falters in order to catch him.

But Nadal, who is seeded fifth at this week’s tournament in Madrid and is also in Ferrer’s quarter there, says that he doesn’t think that he should have his seeding bumped up under current rules, but added that he favors a two- year ranking system to protect injured players.

“I think that it’s a much more deep issue,” said Nadal, who was off for seven months due to a knee injury. “The ranking shows who are the seeded players are. I am not talking about rankings. It’s not about me. If a ranking should make you drop so quickly because of an injury. The players that are in front of me are there because they have been playing better than me.

Well, in fact they have played. I haven’t played; I haven’t trained either. If they were not injured and I have been injured, well, you know, with a handicap, with the format of the rankings that we have currently, good for them for not being injured. The problem is mine.”

Roger Federer added that it wouldn’t make a huge difference if he’s seeded fifth or first. “Not a whole lot, I don’t think, at the end of the tournament,” the Swiss said. If I were to play him in the quarters or in the semis or any other player, it’s not the finals yet. So the best is going to win. Rafa obviously has a great chance because of the great player he is on clay.

©Daily Tennis News Wire

Topics: clay court tennis, French Open, Madrid Open, Mutua Madrid Open, Rafael Nadal, Rome Open