Wimbledon men's seedings: Confirmed seeds, how they work, Wimbledon 2022 points and predictions

Over the years, the seeding system at Wimbledon has caused controversy, player boycotts and claims from some that organisers were using a fairer method than other tournaments.

Certain players have historically been lifted several places above their world ranking position, including Wimbledon great Pete Sampras, who was seeded first when he was world number six in 2001.

Serena Williams, who is back as a wildcard entrant for Wimbledon 2022, was the 25th seed in 2018 despite being the world number 183 — a reflection of her immense achievements at the All England Club and her hiatus from the game because she had become a mother.

Will the seedings match the rankings in 2022? What's going on with the issue of ranking points that has affected some players' participation? Here's what you need to know.

How do the Wimbledon seedings work?

Until the 2021 tournament, organisers had used a computer-based system favouring grass court results to decide the seedings, giving players who had gone far at Wimbledon the previous year an advantage.

In 2000, top-20 players Alex Corretja, Albert Costa and Juan Carlos Ferrero boycotted Wimbledon because they expected to receive seedings lower than their world rankings and wanted the ATP to act.

Announcing the abolition of the formula they had used since 2002, the All England Club said in 2020 that their method had "served its time" for the men's singles draw.

The change means that Wimbledon 2022 will be the second edition in which seedings will mirror world rankings.

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Tennis rankings before Wimbledon 2022

The seedings at Wimbledon will not precisely reflect the rankings because of several significant absentees from this year's tournament.

They include world number one Daniil Medvedev, number eight Andrey Rublev and number 22 Karen Khachanov, three Russians who are all not allowed to play because of a ban on players from their countries imposed by Wimbledon as a result of the war in Ukraine. Belarusian players are also barred from competing at the tournament because of the war.

World number two Alexander Zverev will not be involved after suffering an agonising ankle injury during his French Open semifinal against champion Rafael Nadal earlier in June.

All of which means that reigning champion Novak Djokovic will be the top dog and several players outside of the top 32 stand to be seeded.

Confirmed men's Wimbledon seedings

Will ranking points be awarded at Wimbledon 2022?

Announcing the ban on Russian and Belarusian players, the All England Club said: "We share in the universal condemnation of Russia's illegal actions and have carefully considered the situation in the context of our duties to the players, to our community and to the broader UK public as a British sporting institution."

Ian Hewitt, the chairman of the organising body, acknowledged that the ruling was "hard" on the players affected and said it was "with sadness [that] they will suffer for the actions of the leaders of the Russian regime."

The move proved predictably controversial, earning support and condemnation as part of a mixed reaction after the French Open had decided not to bar players from the countries.

The ATP and WTA responded in June by announcing that ranking points will not be awarded for Wimbledon 2022, causing some players, such as former world number one Naomi Osaka, to admit that the decision had caused them to reconsider participating.

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Djokovic is perhaps the player who will suffer most in terms of ranking points as a result, because the six-time winner will not be able to defend the 2,000 points he won at the tournament last year.

Some observers have suggested that Wimbledon is effectively an exhibition tournament as a result of the removal of points to play for, although Andy Murray, who will not be seeded, argued on Twitter that the prestige and edge of the competition will not be eroded.

"I follow golf very closely and have no idea how many ranking points the winner of The Masters gets," said the two-time Wimbledon champion. "Me and my friends love football and none of us know or care how many ranking points a team gets for winning the FIFA World Cup.

"But I could tell you exactly who won the World Cup and the Masters. I’d hazard a guess that most people watching on Centre Court at Wimbledon wouldn’t know or care about how many ranking points a player gets for winning a third-round match.

What’s making them nervous in my opinion is the possibility of winning a historic/prestigious event in the sport they love and have trained most of their life for not the thought of ranking points. I think the player field at Wimbledon will reflect this🙂 anyway congrats to all

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) May 25, 2022

"But I guarantee they will remember who wins. Wimbledon will never be an exhibition and will never feel like an exhibition.

"I could be wrong but I don’t think any tennis player serving for a Slam title, any footballer taking a penalty in a World Cup shootout, or any golfer teeing off on the 18th hole of a major was thinking about ranking points.

"What’s making them nervous, in my opinion, is the possibility of winning a historic and prestigious event in the sport they love and have trained most of their life for, not the thought of ranking points. I think the player field at Wimbledon will reflect this."