Kvitova not in favour of Serena seeding

Serana needed to use her protected ranking to enter draw

May 25, 2018 09:50 pm | Updated 09:50 pm IST - Paris

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova insisted that the French Open was right not to hand Serena Williams a special seeding for the event.

Former World No. 1 Williams, a three-time champion in Paris, is playing a Grand Slam for the first time since winning the Australian Open in 2017.

As a result, the 23-time Major winner’s ranking has crashed to 453 in the World and she needed to use her protected ranking to enter the draw at Roland Garros.

Many in tennis, including long-time rival Maria Sharapova, believe the rule needs to be changed.

But not Kvitova.

“I don’t really think so,” said Kvitova, who was off the tour for six months last year after suffering knife wounds fighting off a burglar at her home in the Czech Republic.

“I know from my perspective that when I came back I didn’t really feel like a player who is top-20.

“So, yeah, I was seeded, but because of the points which I earned in the end of the year before. So it was a little bit different situation, but I don’t really think that should be the rule for this.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.