By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Serena Williams received a raise from the US Open.

The former world No. 1 and current world No. 26 was elevated to 17 in the US Open seedings for tomorrow's draw.

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That decision prompted some debate among former players and coaches.

Hall of Famer Chrissie Evert calls Serena's seeding "pretty fair."

ESPN colleague Brad Gilbert believes Williams deserved a Top 8 seed and blasted the WTA maternity policy as "an absolute joke" for creating an issue in the first place.

"Looking at Serena's hard court season, it has not been good," Evert told Tennis Now in a conference call to promote ESPN's first ball to last ball coverage of the US Open starting on Monday. "I think 17 is fair enough. Unless, listen, if she would have gotten to the finals of these [US Open Series] tournaments, I think that would have raised her seeding a little bit.

"I think we can say she was unsuccessful in the hard-court lead-up. So for them to seed her 17, I think that's pretty fair."

Winning Ugly author Gilbert argues women who return from maternity leave are being played as punch lines by the Tour.

"I blame the WTA. I think it's an absolute joke what they've done," Gilbert told Tennis Now. "They should be embarrassed. Injuries are different from somebody coming off of maternity leave. I think Serena should have come back, after her absence, with a protected ranking of number one. I felt like she should have come back for eight tournaments with a protected ranking and seeding ranking of number one."

Williams will play the US Open for the first time since giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia last September.

"Not just Serena, whoever it is. Whenever you comeback after maternity leave if you were eight you should be eight," Gilbert said. "If you were 15 then you should be 15. When Serena left the tour she was clearly one so that's a rule [change] that hasn't been done. And they need to do it because, like I said, it's an absolute joke."

Serena Williams equaled Evert's Open Era record winning her sixth Flushing Meadows title in 2014. Gilbert says past performance in New York should have earned Serena a Top 8 seed and argues seeded opponents would prefer seeing Williams seeded in the top eight to avoid a potential first-week clash with the 23-time Grand Slam champion.

World No. 1 Simona Halep Williams should have been seeded first for her Indian Wells' comeback in March because she was world No. 1 when she took a break from tennis to give birth to her daughter. 

"I think she should have been actually No. 1 seed in this tournament because she left as No. 1 in the world," said Halep told the media in Indian Wells. "And to give birth, it's the best thing in the world. It's more than a sport. So I think she should have been ranked as she left.

"Not taking the ranking because she didn't play tournaments, but just protected ranking for—I don't know how many tournaments you have, like, eight. She could be the No. 1 seed for that, for those tournaments. This is my opinion."

The 36-year-old Williams has played six tournaments in this comeback season, reaching the Wimbledon final last month. 

"I would have seeded her probably five to eight. I said I would have seeded her one at Wimbledon based upon her past results," Gilbert told Tennis Now. "Based on her past success at the Open, I would have said about five, that's just me.

"The WTA definitely needs to look into this. Azarenka had it, Serena, so any future women that have a baby when they come back you get the benefit of getting in the draw, okay they're going to get wild cards anyway. But I do think that it's unfair to an opponent to potentially have to play her first round."

Evert said she has no issue with Williams' seeding because it was determined applying current rules.

"It's a tough call Brad, but it's the same thing as being injured if someone comes back strong," Evert replied. "I think it's fair now for this Open considering dealing with this decision the WTA made, we're going along with it. I think the fact that she doesn't have to play a top eight-ranked player until the second week, I think is fair.

"I agree with you, Brad, but at the same time if Serena Williams has dominated tennis for 10 years and then she had an auto accident and then she came back after a year you're saying she should start from scratch or protected ranking?"



Gilbert says the WTA must draw a distinction between maternity leave and injury.

"I hate to disagree with you, but I honestly don't think it's the same as being injured," Gilbert told Evert. "It's not an injury. I think they need to look at it and come up with a better ruling. I really believe when you comeback whatever you were ranked at before, for eight tournaments, you should be ranked at and seeded at. Then after eight tournaments you've played, then you're ranking will be adjusted.

"I put the distinction that an injury is different because in work if you're having a baby they make provisions for when you have a baby and you come back. You get a paid leave. So I don't understand why the WTA doesn't draw a distinction between being injured and having a baby."

Hall of Famer Evert, who won at least one major title for a record 13 consecutive years, said rules should accomodate both situations.

"All I'm saying is if you're going to protect being pregnant and having a baby then I think that injuries should have a little consideration too," Evert said. "That's all I'm saying."