By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Six-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic and rival Rafael Nadal, who is chasing the calendar Grand Slam, are the top two Wimbledon men's seeds.
Photo credit: Getty
A Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry reunion clash could climax in the Wimbledon final.
Six-time Wimbledon winner Djokovic is seeded first, while Big 3 rival Nadal, who continues his quest for the calendar Grand Slam, is seeded second in the Wimbledon men's seedings announced today.
More: Federer Confirms Comeback Plan
The Championships' seeds means a Djokovic vs. Nadal match at Wimbledon can only occur in a Centre Court final on Sunday, July 10th.
It's a stark contrast to the recent Roland Garros draw where the superstars squared off in the quarterfinals. In the 59th meeting between the pair, Nadal outlasted Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) in Paris and went on to capture his record-extending 14th Roland Garros crown and 22nd Grand Slam championship.
Three-time defending champion Djokovic is aiming to win his first Grand Slam title since he defeat Matteo Berrettini in the 2021 Wimbledon final that put him three-quarters of the way to the calendar Grand Slam last year.
Three of the world's Top 10-ranked men will miss Wimbledon.
World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev and compatriot Andrey Rublev have been ruled out as part of Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian players in condemnation of Russia's unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
Olympic gold-medal champion Alexander Zverev is out recovering from foot surgery.
Both Big 3 superstars hit the practice courts at Aorangi Park on Monday fine-tuning their grass-court games for the fortnight to follow.
After Djokovic and Nadal, Roland Garros runner-up Casper Ruud is the No. 3 seed, the highest seed for a Norwegian at Wimbledon.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, a first-round Wimbledon casualty in three of his four SW19 appearances including last year, is the No. 4 seed. Spanish phenom Carlos Alcaraz is seeded No. 5.
Top 10 Wimbledon Men's Seeds
1. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2. Rafael Nadal (Spain)
3. Casper Ruud (Norway)
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece)
5. Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
6. Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada)
7. Hubert Hurkacz (Poland)
8. Matteo Berrettini (Italy)
9. Cameron Norrie (Great Britain)
10. Jannik Sinner (Italy)