The next grand slam on the ATP calendar is fast approaching, with the biggest tennis stars in the world gearing up for Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to defend his crown, but will face stiff competition from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
The championship at the All England Club is arguably the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world, steeped in tradition and players who are seeded often earn a great advantage at the tournament.
The Sporting News looks at how seeding works at Wimbledon, and how the ATP world rankings may change as a result.
MORE: Wimbledon start date and draw
At Wimbledon in the gentleman’s singles tournament, the top 32 players in the ATP world rankings are seeded, meaning they will face a non-seeded player or wildcard entrant in the first round of the competition.
This not only impacts the opening round, but also any of the next rounds, as those with a higher seed tend to be pitted against those who are a lower seed or a non-seeded player.
This means hypothetically speaking, the player ranked 33rd — and in this case an unseeded player — could be eligible to play against someone ranked 100 or higher in the first round, whilst those in the top 32 will not play each other in the first round.
In the latest version of the ATP world rankings, Italy’s Jannik Sinner is number one, with Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz close behind.
Novak Djokovic moved up to second ahead of Alcaraz in the latest update of the rankings; it is important to note whilst normally the rankings are updated every week, they are not updated at all during major grand slams and tournaments.
| Ranking | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jannik Sinner (ITA) | 9890 |
| 2 | Novak Djokovic (SRB) | 8360 |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) | 8130 |
| 4 | Alexander Zverev (GER) | 6905 |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | 6445 |
| 6 | Andrey Rublev | 4420 |
| 7 | Hubert Hurkacz (POL) | 4235 |
| 8 | Casper Ruud (NOR) | 4025 |
| 9 | Alex de Minaur (AUS) | 3830 |
| 10 | Gregor Dmitrov (BUL) | 3750 |
Last updated June 24
The full ATP world rankings can be found here.
With Wimbledon being a grand slam, players have the chance to shoot up the rankings with a good performance.
The winner earns 2000 points in the rankings, which could see a player get close to the top in one fell swoop.
The points on offer range from eight points to those who reach the second qualifying round, and up to 1300 for the beaten finalist.
| Final position | Points |
|---|---|
| Winner | 2000 |
| Finalist | 1300 |
| Semifinalist | 800 |
| Quarterfinalist | 400 |
| Round of 16 | 200 |
| Round of 32 | 100 |
| Round of 64 | 50 |
| Round of 128 | 10 |
| Q | 30 |
| Q3 | 16 |
| Q2 | 8 |
| Q1 | 0 |
