Williams, who has played just two tournaments since giving birth last September, is currently ranked No 449 CRYSTAL CHATHAM/APWimbledon officials can make Serena Williams a seed at this year’s championships — but discovered this only after some confusion at yesterday’s spring press conference. Williams, the seven-times women’s singles winner, has played only two tournaments since giving birth in September, so is ranked a lowly No 449. Philip Brook, the All England Club chairman, and Richard Lewis, the chief executive, were therefore asked whether they would consider giving her one of the 32 seedings. Williams believes women should not lose their seeding benefits because of pregnancy GLYN KIRK/GETTY IMAGESInitially, Brook and Lewis replied that they believed Williams had to be ranked within the world top 32 a week before the championships. When The Times pointed out that this was not mentioned in the guidelines on the tournament website, officials called the Women’s Tennis Association to check and later…

Source: The Times May 01, 2018 16:09 UTC