Djokovic, Sharapova earn top seeds for Wimbledon
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova have been installed as the top seeds at Wimbledon, which starts next Monday from the venerable All England Club.
Djokovic, the defending men's champion, is followed by reigning French Open champ Rafael Nadal, six-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer and British favorite Andy Murray.
Nadal beat Djokovic in the final at Roland Garros earlier this month, ending the Serb's attempt to become the first man to win all four major titles in succession since Rod Laver in 1969. Djokovic topped Nadal in last year's Wimbledon finale. The two have played in each of the last four Grand Slam title matches.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champ who completed a career Grand Slam with her title at the French Open earlier this month, is the current world No. 1 and the top seed at the All England Club for the first time. She is followed by Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and Petra Kvitova, who beat Sharapova for last year's Wimbledon championship.
The women's seedings follow the WTA rankings.
Reigning U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur is the fifth seed, followed by four-time Wimbledon champ Serena Williams, former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli and Sara Errani, who is coming off her runner-up finish to Sharapova at the French Open. Former French Open champ Li Na is 11th and 2010 Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva is 12th.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Five-time Wimbledon champ Venus Williams is unseeded this year. Her ranking has dropped to 55 as she continues to battle an auto-immune disease. Also unseeded is four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters, whose ranking has fallen to 53rd in what the Belgian star has said will be her final season.
The men's seedings don't completely follow the ATP rankings, as grass-court history was taken into account.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Federer in the quarterfinals last year with a stunning rally from two sets down, is seeded fifth, while Tomas Berdych was elevated one spot from his rank of seventh to the sixth seed. The Czech star lost to Nadal in the 2010 Wimbledon final.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}David Ferrer is the seventh seed, one spot down from his ranking, followed by Janko Tipsarevic, Juan Martin del Potro and Mardy Fish. A Wimbledon quarterfinalist last year, Fish was moved up two spots from his rank of 12th, ahead of fellow American John Isner and Nicolas Almagro, who are seeds 11 and 12, respectively.
Australia's Bernard Tomic, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist last year, was given the 20th seed -- seven spots higher than his ranking. Andy Roddick, a three- time Wimbledon finalist, is the 30th seed, three spots better than his ranking.
The draw will take place Friday.