Rafa Nadal could face world number one Novak Djokovic, defending champion Roger Federer or home favourite Andy Murray as early as the Wimbledon quarter-finals after being announced as fifth seed for the tournament yesterday.
Djokovic was named number one, with Murray second and Federer third in seedings that followed the world rankings.
Spaniard Nadal, twice a winner at the All England Club and a 12-times grand slam champion, is working his way back up after a seven-month lay-off due to a knee injury.
The Wimbledon seeding reflects Nadal’s current ranking, with the Mallorcan behind fourth-ranked compatriot David Ferrer whom he beat to win an eighth French Open title this month.
John McEnroe, the retired three-times Wimbledon champion, said on Tuesday that it would be ‘totally wrong’ for Nadal to be seeded outside the top four for the tournament starting on Monday.
Wimbledon organisers can bump players up the seedings, higher than their rankings, to reflect their pedigree on grass surface.
However, Ferrer reached the quarter-finals last year while Nadal lost in the second round.
“I know there will be a lot of interest in the draw this year as Rafael Nadal looks like being seeded fifth but as a player you can’t get too obsessed about the draw,” Murray had said in a column for the BBC website earlier this week.
“I’d sign up to be in the quarter-finals against Rafa tomorrow if someone offered me that.”
Serena Williams is the top seed in the women’s draw, with Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova second and third in accordance with the rankings.
Meanwhile, five-time women’s singles champion Venus Williams announced she had pulled out of Wimbledon because of a back injury.
The 33-year-old struggled with the problem during the clay-court season and has not played since withdrawing from the doubles at Roland Garros with sister Serena.
Venus had never missed Wimbledon since her debut in 1997 and was the singles champion at the All England Club in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
The draw takes place tomorrow.