"There’s just no way on Earth Djokovic shouldn’t be the No. 1 seed" - Tennis fans furious as Wimbledon seeds Carlos Alcaraz over Serb
On Wednesday, June 28, Wimbledon announced its top-10 seeds and ranked Novak Djokovic at No. 2, prompting tennis fans to question the decision to have him as the second seed.
The Serbian No. 1 has already won two Grand Slams this year and has been touted by many to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam. At the 2023 Australian Open, the Serb beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to win his 10th Australian Open title. Despite having a rough start to the clay-court swing, the former World No. 1 won his 23rd Major Crown in Paris, defeating Casper Ruud in the final.
Today, Wimbledon released its list of top-10 seeds in both men's and women's tennis and ranked defending champions Djokovic and Elena Rybakina as No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Many fans were left furious as the Grand Slam seeded Carlos Alcaraz over the Serb, given that the latter has a much better record on grass and is also the defending champion of the tournament.
A fan on Twitter was shocked to see that the Spaniard was the top seed and not the Serb:
"What’s happened to the grass dependent algorithm? Has that gone out the window. There’s just no way on Earth Djokovic shouldn’t be the number one seed."
@Wimbledon What’s happened to the grass dependent algorithm? Has that gone out the window. There’s just no way on Earth Djokovic shouldn’t be the number one seed.
Another fan, who claimed to be a 'hater' of the veteran, expressed his shock at the decision:
"Wait they ditched the separate Wimbledon seeding system? Because if not, djokovic has been robbed and i say this as a hater."
twitter.com/wimbledon/stat…
Wait they ditched the separate Wimbledon seeding system?
Because if not, djokovic has been robbed and i say this as a hater😭 twitter.com/wimbledon/stat…
Fans continued to highlight the Serbian's many accolades over the past few months to justify why he should have been the top seed.
"Djokovic has won the Aus Open and French Open 2023, plus he has won last 4 consecutive Wimbledon titles from 2019 to 2022, So he should be the top seed in Wimbledon 2023, He is clearly the best player in the world, what more do you expect Djokovic to do?"
@Wimbledon Djokovic has won the Aus Open and French Open 2023, plus he has won last 4 consecutive Wimbledon titles from 2019 to 2022, So he should be the top seed in Wimbledon 2023, He is clearly the best player in the world, what more do you expect Djokovic to do?
Below are a few more fan reactions:
@Wimbledon @carlosalcaraz Strange how someone can win all the slams from the beginning of the year and not be the top seed.
twitter.com/wimbledon/stat…
Nevermind, things like this will make Djokovic even more hungrier to win his 8th Wimbledon title! 😅 twitter.com/wimbledon/stat…
@Wimbledon Was Wimbledon seeding not being decided on the grass court performances and not just the world rankings?
@Wimbledon Things like this make Djokovic the GOAT hungrier to win.
@Wimbledon I don't agree with Carlos getting top seed over seven times Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic. Jessica Pegula is seeded third she hasn't gotten past a slam quarterfinal.
@Wimbledon I dont know how Alcaraz who never won Wimbledon could be top seed ahead of Novak (because Novak didnt receive 2000 points for last year's win and who would have been #1 if things were normal) who is defending champion, and has 4 titles in a row, but ok. Its your tournament.
Like this tournament@Wimbledon Hahaha Djoko 23 grand slam and second 🤣 what a joke 😂 Like this tournament
Novak Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon title in 2022
The 2023 French Open winner is unbeaten in the last four editions of Wimbledon. The Serb won his seventh Wimbledon title in 2022, his fourth title in the last four seasons.
In 2022, the then-World No. 3 kicked off his Wimbledon campaign against Sunwoo Kwon and had convincing wins until the quarterfinals. The World No. 2 locked horns with Jannik Sinner in the last eight and rallied from two sets down to beat the Italian in a five-set thriller.
The tennis great then faced Cameron Norrie in the semifinals and beat him to set up a clash with Nick Kyrgios in the final. Up against the Australian, the Serbian legend beat him to win the 2022 Wimbledon title.