After the news that the ITF and the GSB have decided to make changes to tennis, notably at the Grand Slam level, one decision should at least be welcomed amongst members of tennis’ elite.
Roger Federer had discussed his views on seedings at the Nitto ATP Finals, just days before it was announced that seedings would be reduced from 32 to 16 from 2019. Federer: “That’s how it used to be when I came up, way back when‘, the 19-time Grand Slam champion said. ‘There’s definitely something intriguing about having 16 seeds. I do see the problem of the 32 seeds, plus you have eight seeds who get byes at Masters 1000.”
The Swiss, 36, is one of few active players to have played in a Grand Slam tournament featuring only 16 seeds, as the format was expanded to 32 in 2001.
Having experienced both sides, Federer believes cutting the current seedings in half could be good for the game: “You have these stairs that can make you feel safe and I feel like there’s too many to get to the top. It’s hard to drop out and it’s hard to get into. Having 16 seeds? That might be interesting. The draw could be more volatile, [with] better matches in the first week. The top guys have made a habit of not cruising but getting through the first week quite comfortably for a long period of time.”
Federer won two Grand Slams in 2017, at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, as he moved to No.2 in the ATP rankings. He won seven titles in total, after also winning three Master 1000 titles in Indian Wells, Miami, and Shanghai. He also won in Halle and his home event in Basel. Federer ended his season after a semi-final loss to David Goffin at the Nitto ATP Finals.
