Players are seeded in tournaments based on their rankings in the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) and WTA (Women's Tennis Association) rankings. Seeding is a process used to assign specific positions to players in the tournament draw, which determines the matchups in the early rounds.
The seeding process is as follows:
Rankings: The ATP and WTA rankings, which are updated weekly, serve as the primary basis for seeding players in tournaments. Players with higher rankings are seeded higher, and their seeding number corresponds to their ranking position. For example, the player ranked No. 1 will be the top seed, No. 2 will be the second seed, and so on.
Draw Structure: The tournament organizers determine the draw structure based on the total number of players participating in the event. The most common draw formats are single-elimination (where players are eliminated after one loss) or round-robin (where players compete in groups and accumulate points based on wins).
Seeding Cutoff: The tournament's seeding cutoff is the point in the rankings at which seeding stops. For example, a tournament may have a seeding cutoff at the top 32 players in the rankings. Players ranked outside this cutoff do not receive a seeded position and could face higher-ranked opponents in the early rounds.
Seeding Exceptions: In some cases, players with high rankings may receive special seeding exemptions if they were injured or did not compete in enough tournaments to maintain their ranking position. This allows them to receive a higher seed than their current ranking would suggest.
Grand Slam Seedings: In Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open), seeding is usually determined based on a combination of a player's ranking and their performance on that specific surface. The seeding committee may use their discretion to adjust seedings to ensure a balanced draw.
Draw Ceremony: The final seeding is announced during a draw ceremony, where players' names are drawn from the seeding list to determine their positions in the tournament draw.