Chapter 1540 Chain Effect
On Friday, June 26, the annual Wimbledon draw ceremony was officially held, which also meant that the championship battle for the new year was about to begin.
Two days ago, Wimbledon announced this year's seeding rankings. Unlike previous years that always caused a lot of controversy, there were almost no changes this year. The grass court points counted by the tournament committee were basically consistent with the current world rankings, and the seeding seats for men's and women's singles were basically in line with expectations.
The biggest surprise and the biggest unexpected thing all came from men's singles——
The biggest surprise was Kyrgios, who unexpectedly defeated Nadal last year to advance to the quarterfinals. His seed ranking improved, and he is now ranked 30th in the world and 26th in the seed ranking, but he only rose by four places, and the leap was limited.
The biggest surprise was the "ATP super rookie" Gao Wen. Although it is hard to believe, Gao Wen has not been in professional tennis for a full year and has not had any grass court points in the past two years, so although he is ranked second in the world, his seed ranking is only fifth.
Therefore, the final ranking of the top four seeds at Wimbledon is Djokovic, Federer, Murray and Wawrinka.
It was indeed a surprise, and it sparked a lot of discussion on social networks. Netizens who did not know the reason expressed shock. A player who won two championships and a semi-final in the past three Grand Slams was only the fifth seed at Wimbledon. Is this normal? But when we discuss it seriously, it is not so surprising. After all, Wimbledon is Wimbledon, and the protection of grass events has always been a major principle. Gao Wen did not have any grass points in the past two years, and there is no doubt that his seed ranking has dropped. Federer, Murray and Wawrinka all deserve such a seed seat. The fifth seed is also appropriate for Gao Wen, and there is no need to make a fuss.
Rules are rules, and reason is reason. Despite this, Gao Wen's seed ranking has become a hot topic.
Rather than discussing whether the seeding rules at Wimbledon are reasonable, it is better to discuss that once Gao Wen is seeded fifth, he will become a potential bomb.
The reason is very simple. As the fifth seed, Gao Wen may meet the top four seeds in the quarterfinals.
For the top ATP players, everyone knows that Kowa is definitely not someone who can be easily ignored. Maybe Kowa lacks grass experience, but his ability, his condition, and his fighting spirit are there. He is still a dangerous opponent. Once Kowa can enter the second week of the Grand Slam and adapt to the grass rhythm of Wimbledon, his fighting power will inevitably be improved. No one wants to meet him in advance.
Last month, at Roland Garros, Nadal's ranking dropped and he fell out of the top four seeds. He became the biggest uncertainty in the draw and everyone was trying to avoid him. Now, at Wimbledon, Gawain and Nadal play the same role and may become spoilers of the draw.
——First of all, as Gao Wen is the fifth seed, the top four seeds may meet him in the quarterfinals.
- Secondly, Nadal is the ninth seed, and the top eight seeds may meet him in the round of 16.
The signing list is suddenly full of variables, and naturally, countless possibilities arise.
For example, like the Australian Open, the three giants plus Gao Wen are all crowded in one division, which is a real crematorium.
For example, just like the French Open, Gawain and Nadal met in the quarterfinals ahead of schedule. What if Gawain and Djokovic met in the quarterfinals ahead of schedule this time? Or Gawain and Federer met in the quarterfinals ahead of schedule? Then, can Gawain play a role in changing the pattern of the championship battle? Possibilities emerged one after another, and the bustling heated discussions could not be stopped at all. I could deeply feel the enthusiasm and excitement of the fans.
It is precisely because of this that the live broadcast of the Wimbledon draw ceremony this year attracted more attention than ever before. From the side, one can feel the excitement and expectations after the full opening of the ATP competition landscape. More and more top players are competing, which completely ignites the blood and passion of the fans.
Before the draw ceremony began, it is worth mentioning that Ferrer, ranked eighth in the world, withdrew from the competition for this year's Wimbledon with great regret.
Ferrer was injured, with an elbow injury, which had actually affected his performance during the clay court season. But because clay is the surface Ferrer is best at and likes best, he kept playing with the injury. As a result, he lost to Murray in the Roland Garros and was eliminated in the quarterfinals, which further aggravated his injury.
Although Ferrer took a break from playing after the Roland Garros tournament, hoping to recover before Wimbledon, the grass court season is too short, leaving almost no time for adjustment. The switch from clay to grass has increased the difficulty, posing a severe challenge to injury recovery.
This week, when the Wimbledon qualifiers were underway, all the top players had arrived at Wimbledon to prepare for the competition, but Ferrer chose to make a comeback and went to Nottingham to try to find his touch on the grass court. As a result, he lost to Baghdatis in the first round and his form was still not good.
Then, Ferrer arrived at Wimbledon to try a final effort, but in the end, before the draw ceremony, Ferrer decided to withdraw from the competition.
Here, it is necessary to emphasize the difference between "withdrawing before the draw ceremony" and "withdrawing after the draw ceremony". This is a very, very important thing.
If you withdraw from the competition before the draw ceremony, the rules are very simple. The seed seats will be replaced. That is to say, the player originally ranked 33rd in the world will be replaced as 32nd seed. At the same time, a lucky loser in the qualifier will be added to the draw list, and then a regular draw will be made. The entire impact will affect a limited range of players.
The rules for withdrawing from the competition after the draw ceremony are not complicated. The seeds and draw will not change. The lucky losers will directly be replaced by the corresponding draw positions of the withdrawn seeded players. It is even simpler and neater than the former. But the key point is that the entire subsequent impact may affect a large number of players.
Take the most typical and special seeding position, "World No. 1", as an example.
Withdrew before the draw, the top four draws at Wimbledon were Federer, Murray, Wawrinka and Gawain.
First, they won’t crash early before the Final Four.
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Secondly, Nadal can be seeded among the top eight and will not meet top players in the round of 16.
If a player withdraws from the competition after the draw, the number one spot in the draw will be taken by the lucky loser.
First of all, the matchups between the top players have not changed, but the player who was supposed to challenge for the world's number one player may gain the upper hand.
Secondly, it usually takes three to four days from the release of the seed rankings to the draw ceremony and then to the official competition. For players who are not highly ranked in the world, they need to rush between different tournaments and participate in as many events as possible to ensure income and points. Naturally, they have no time to stay in Wimbledon and wait patiently. This also means that the later a seeded player announces his withdrawal, the greater the possibility that the lucky losers have already left.
The points and prize money for the first round of a Grand Slam tournament may often be more than that of a Challenge Tournament champion. It may not mean much to top players, but for blue-collar players who are not ranked high in the world, it may be a major decision that affects their livelihood.
(End of this chapter)