Beijing Olympic Games

Updated: 2008-06-19

(BEIJING, June 19) — The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has announced the seeded players for the 2008 Wimbledon Championships which take place June 23 — July 6.

Roger Federer (Photo by Thomas Starke/Bongarts/Getty Images)

The Wimbledon Championships are considered to be the most coveted prize in tennis — and is the last major title ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The top 32 players are seeded separately in the men’s and women’s singles.

World men’s No 1 Roger Federer is unsurprisingly the top seed at Wimbledon 2008. The Swiss player has won twelve Grand Slam singles titles, including the last five at Wimbledon.

His adept volley and strong ground strokes make Federer the World’s top player on grass. Last week he extended his victory streak to 58 matches on grass at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

Rafael Nadal (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

In last year’s Wimbledon final, Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in a five set thriller — but the Spaniard, seeded No 2 at Wimbledon this year, easily beat Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 to lift the French Open for the fourth consecutive time in early June – a sign, say many commentators, that it could be time for Nadal to replace Federer as World No 1.

Nadal is predominantly a clay court specialist but last week he won the Queen’s Club Championships in London on grass, where he defeated 2008 Australian Open champion and Wimbledon No. 3 seed, Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 7-5.

In the women’s singles seeding, current No 1 player Ana Ivanovic is the top seed. She won the 2008 French Open and was the runner-up in this year’s Australian Open.

Ana Ivanovic (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The 19-year-old Serbian is an attacking baseline player noted for her powerful, deep forehand strokes. However, she is more suited to clay courts. Last year she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon but was defeated by Venus Williams, the three-time former Wimbledon champion 6-2, 6-4.

Jelena Jankovic (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic is seeded second but was knocked out in the fourth round to Marion Bartoli of France, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 last year.

Russian trio Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva are seeded third to fifth, but defending Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, is only ranked seventh, a place below her sister, Serena.

The draw will be held on Friday, June 21, at Wimbledon.