Djokovic and Sharapova Lead Men’s and Women’s Singles Seeds at Wimbledon 2012

This year’s French Open winner Maria Sharapova is the top seed in the womens singles and defending champion Novak Djokovic has been confirmed as the top seed in this year’s mens singles at Wimbledon 2012. Serbia’s Djokovic, the current world number one, lost to Rafael Nadal in the French Open Finals earlier this month, but maintains the top seeding ahead of the second-seeded Spaniard. Djokovic’s defeat at the hands of Nadal in Paris marked the end of a run of three successive Grand Slam final victories over the world number two. This started when he won Wimbledon for the first time last year. Six-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer is seeded third as he seeks to win a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2010 Australian Open.

Great Britain’s Andy Murray, who lost in the Wimbledon semifinals the last three years, is now fourth seed at Wimbledon, while France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a loser in the semis as well at Wimbledon last year, is seeded fifth.

Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic is bumped up to the sixth seed, one spot higher than Spain’s David Ferrer. Ferrer is ranked higher but drops down to seventh seed because of his inferior grass-court record. Big-serving American Mardy Fish, now back in action after serious health issues, is seeded 10th, just ahead of fellow American John Isner and Nicolas Almagro of Spain.

The biggest jump in the Wimbledon seedings was made by Australian teenager Bernard Tomic, who reached the quarterfinals in 2011, and this year, jumps from the 27th seed to the 20th seed, while three-time finalist Andy Roddick of the United States is seeded 30th.

World number one Sharapova, the top seed on the women’s side of the draw, is seeded ahead of the reigning Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, the fourth seed this year. Victoria Azarenka of Belarus sits at number two, while Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland is seeded third. Sitting at the fifth seed is 2011 U.S. Open Champion Samantha Stosur, followed by American Serena Williams at the sixth seed. 

Unseeded at Wimbledon for the first time in more than a decade is Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, and she is joined by American Venus Williams who has missed a significant amount of time over the past year suffering the effects of the auto-immune disease, Sjogren’s Syndrome.

Action begins at Wimbledon on Monday, June 25.