Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova, who was dropped from a seeding position when Serena Williams was seeded at No. 25 for Wimbledon, calls it "unfair" but says Williams is being recognized for her career record.
While current WTA rules give players a protected ranking when returning to tour from injury or pregnancy, they do not allow it to be used for seeding at events.
Wimbledon, as a Grand Slam, can do its own seedings. The event promoted Williams, who has won the tournament several times and is returning to tour following the birth of her first child in 2017, to No. 25 in the seedings. Cibulkova, who is No. 32, will now not be seeded.
"I have the right and I should be seeded," Cibulkova told journalists at Eastbourne, in additional statements following her press conference. "My opinion about it is that I don’t think it’s fair and I don’t think it’s the right thing to do.
"It’s a really different thing if they change the seeding. Why should I not be seeded when I have the right to be?"
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