Wimbledon drop seedings committee for men's singles

Wimbledon will no longer use a committee to decide seedings for the men's singles, organisers said on Tuesday.

But they will not adhere to the rankings when deciding seeds at the grass court tournament and are still searching for a compromise to head off a revolt by top clay-court players.

All England Club chairman Tim Phillips said: "We will not use a seeding committee for the men's singles. However hard you try, if it's subjective it can be open to interpretation.

"We are still talking to the players and the ATP, and whatever formula we end up with this year will be a trial. We think we can find a solution that answers most of the problems."

The tournament is risking a revolt by top men players by resisting their demands to stick to the ATP Tour's 12-month rankings when determining seeds.

Current world number one Gustavo Kuerten is the latest top player to threaten to stay away from the tournament.

Wimbledon, the most prestigious tournament in the sport, is the only one of the four Grand Slams not to adhere strictly to the rankings when deciding seeds.

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