London — The spectre of seven-times Wimbledon champion Serena Williams facing world No1 Simona Halep in the Wimbledon first round was removed on Wednesday as the American was named as the 25th seed. Debate has raged over whether the 36-year-old, 23-times Grand Slam champion, who is down at 183 in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings following maternity leave, should be bumped up into a seeded position. The decision by the All England Club committee means Williams, winner in 2016 but absent in 2017 because of pregnancy, will avoid big names until at least the third round. Halep is top seed in the women’s singles with 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza at three, while defending men’s champion Roger Federer is No1 seed despite Spaniard Rafael Nadal taking over as world No1 this week. When the seedings committee met on Tuesday, the thorny issue of whether to break from the WTA rankings, the usual criteria for seeding the women’s draw, and elevate Williams was top of the agenda. It ...
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