Dip in rankings sees Rafael Nadal seeded fifth at Wimbledon

Updated: Wednesday, 19 Jun 2013 12:08 |

The 'King of Clay' has reached five of the last seven finals at the All England Club

Two-time Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal has been confirmed as the fifth seed for the men's singles at SW19.
The 27-year-old has been usurped by Spanish compatriot David Ferrer in the ATP rankings.
Nadal seems likely to face another big name in the last eight, with top seed Novak Djokovic, second seed Andy Murray and defending champion Roger Federer sure to be keen to avoid the Spaniard in their quarter when the draw is made on Friday.
Defending champion Serena Williams is the women's top seed, ahead of Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova and Agnieszka Radwanska, who make up the top four.
The Wimbledon referee's office, announcing the seedings, explained that the men's list was defined by a specific formula.
It allows for no deviation based on historic Wimbledon performances before 2011, so Nadal's wins in 2008 and 2010 had no influence on his placing this time.
The top 32 players in the ATP rankings start as seeds, with their current totals supplemented by points gained on grass in the past two years.
Nadal's second-round exit to Czech Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon last year has therefore proven costly, as has the seven months he spent out of the game after that loss, receiving treatment for a knee injury.
The Wimbledon seedings committee has the authority to make changes to the women's rankings in the seedings but elected not to do so this year, meaning the world's top 32 line up remains in order. ------------------------- RTE Sport