Defending champion Andy Murray will be the number three seed at Wimbledon, it was announced yesterday.
The 27-year-old Scot returns to the All England Club having become the first British men’s singles winner since 1936 when he beat Novak Djokovic.
Under the Wimbledon weighting for grass-court tournaments, it is the Serbian world number one, winner three years ago, who takes top ranking at the 2014 Champion-ships.
French Open champion Rafael Nadal – Wimbledon winner in 2008 and 2010 – is seeded second, with Roger Federer, who will be out to claim an eighth singles title at SW19, fourth.
The women’s seedings directly follow world rankings and so Serena Williams, the five-time Wimbledon champion, is no.1.
China’s Li Na is second, with Simona Halep, of Romania, third and Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska fourth.
2014 French Open winner Maria Sharapova, champion at Wimbledon 10 years ago as a teenager, is seeded five.
Murray continued his return from back surgery with a run to the semi-finals of the French Open, where he was comprehensively beaten by Nadal.
The Spaniard could again be in the same half of the Wimbledon draw, which takes place tomorrow, as the British number one should they both progress to the latter stages.
The Scot – now working with former women’s number one Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach – was unable to defend his AEGON Championships title at Queen’s last week, losing to Radek Stepanek in the third round.
Murray is scheduled to play an exhibition match at IMG’s BNP Paribas Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club today, before fine-tuning preparations back at his Wimbledon base.
Former Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis, meanwhile, feels the man who beat him in the 2003 final on Centre Court should not be underestimated as Federer aims to eclipse Pete Sampras’s post-open era record of singles’ titles.
The Australian said: “I am feeling Federer for Wimbledon this year.
“I believe he has one more grand slam in him and his best chance is at Wimbledon.
“Working with new coach Stefan Edberg leading up to this, Roger has been more attacking and if he plays again like (when making the semi-finals) at the Australian Open, then I am calling him to win this one.”