23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams will not be seeded for the upcoming French Open in what will be only her third WTA tournament since returning from maternity.
The 36-year-old is currently ranked 453rd in the world due to her 13-month absence from the tour. She returned to action in March at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a run to the third round. Following on from that, she crashed out of the first round in Miami to Naomi Osaka. Williams is yet to play competitively on the clay this year after saying that she ‘wasn’t ready’ to play in events leading up to the second grand slam tournament of the season.
Williams’ chances in Paris have been made harder after the French Tennis Federation confirmed that the American will not receive any special exemption in the draw. Meaning that she could potentially face a top 5 player in the first round.
“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 said in a statement to The Associated Press. “Consequently, [the seeds] will reflect this week’s world ranking.”
Since Williams’ return to the tour, a debate has erupted about whether the WTA should introduce a special rule to protect a players seeding whilst they are pregnant. World No.1 Simona Halep has previously spoken in favour of such a rule being implemented.
“I think she should have been ranked as she left. Not taking the ranking because she didn’t play tournaments, but just protected ranking for — I don’t know how many tournaments you have, like, eight. She could be the No. 1 seed for that, for those tournaments. This is my opinion.” Halep said in March.
Maria Sharapova is another player who supports a new rule being implemented. The Russian trails Williams 2-19 in their head-to-head on the tour.
“I would like to see that change,” she said. “It’s such an incredible effort for a woman to come back from physically, emotionally.
“There’s just another whole dimension to the travel, to the experiences, to the emotions to the physicality of every single day.”
Despite the voices of support, other players have taken a more measured approach. Victoria Azarenka also spent time away from the tour to give birth to her first child. She has previously said that any change in the WTA’s policy must ‘be for everybody’ on the tour. Another mum on the tour, Mandy Minella, has called for there to be no changes in the rules. Telling BBC Sport that the discussion wouldn’t be happening ‘if it wasn’t Serena.’
The French Open will get underway on Sunday. Williams is a three-time champion of the event.
