French Open organisers snub Serena

Serena to miss out on seeding as French Open follows rankings

Former world number one Serena Williams will not be seeded at this year's French Open, according to the organisers of the May 27-June 10 claycourt Grand Slam.

Williams, a three-times champion at Roland Garros, discovered she was pregnant after winning the 2017 Australian Open and following her return from maternity leave in March, the American suffered early defeats in Indian Wells and Miami.

The 36-year-old subsequently withdrew from Madrid and Rome claycourt events and the 23-time Grand Slam champion has seen her world ranking tumble to number 453.

"This year again, tournament officials will establish the list and ranking of the women's seeds based on the WTA ranking," the French Tennis Federation told The Associated Press.

"Consequently, (the seeds) will reflect this week's world ranking," the organisers added.

Williams, who gave birth to daughter Alexis last September, can compete at Roland Garros under the WTA's special ranking rule, which allows players returning from a long spells out to use their ranking at the start of their absence.

Serena could get Wimbledon seeding

Serena Williams will almost certainly be seeded at this year's Wimbledon championships despite being snubbed by French Open organisers, the All England Club confirmed on Tuesday.

The American is expected to play at Roland Garros next week, where she has won the title three times, but without being seeded she could conceivably meet reigning champion Jelena Ostapenko in the first round.

While the French Open sticks rigidly to rankings, Wimbledon's seeding committee allows itself some 'wiggle room' according to an All England Club official.

Unlike the men's seedings which use the ATP rankings in conjunction with a formula based on results on grasscourts, the women's seedings can be tweaked on the agreement of a committee.

"The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee, a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw," is the All England Club's official line on it's website.

Williams has won Wimbledon six times but missed last year's tournament while she was on maternity leave.