Emma Raducanu would lose Wimbledon seeding amid controversial rule change proposal

A shake-up to the seedings at Wimbledon has been proposed that would see the number dramatically slashed in half.

The idea, proposed by British tennis stalwarts John Lloyd and Andrew Castle, would see the number of seeds at Wimbledon go from 32 to just 16.

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Had that been in place in 2026 then British number one Emma Raducanu would have felt the effects.

The 23-year-old is set to be seeded at No32 at this year’s tournament, which begins on June 29. 

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The system has traditionally been set to ensure the 32 highest-ranked players are not meeting in the initial stages of the competition.

During the men’s Queen’s final, Castle and Lloyd discussed the seeding of the event, with both believing the competition needs a shake-up.

Castle said: “I think there should be 16 [seeds] and then we would have better matches in the first week, guaranteed.”

Lloyd added how it would make the championship more ‘interesting’, especially regarding the first and second rounds.

The 23-year-old recently reached the final of Queen’s, yet was beaten in straight sets by Croatia’s Donna Vekic.

Castle acknowledged how a seeding represents hard work: “People tend to forget that a slam is two weeks.

“In the first week, there should be a lot of good matches and sometimes it is guilty of early rounds, particularly from the top seeds, not being great.

“You stick 16 seeds in there, there will be some great first and second round matches.”

If the change were to happen, it would mean Diana Schnaider would fill the final seeded spot for the women’s side of the game.

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It would mean French Open finalist Maja Chwalinska would also not be considered in the top 16.

She became the only person, men and women combined, to reach the French Open final as a qualifier.

In the men’s game, it would mean Italy’s Luciano Darderi would take the final position and leave Roland Garros semi-finalist Jakub Mensik and the two Queen’s Club finalists very vulnerable.

It could also mean that 19-year-old Joao Fonseca might come up against a former champion, Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic, as early as the opening round.

Raducanu rise

Raducanu has been on the rise and had an impressive run at Queens, putting a difficult start to the year behind her.

The HSBC Championship marked a career-first grass-court final, however, she missed her chance to claim a second title following her maiden crown at the US Open in 2021.

However, the 23-year-old powered through a two-match day which featured taking on a quarter-final and semi-final and did not drop a set until the ultimate showdown.

She will be well-rested ahead of Wimbledon after she dropped out of the Nottingham Open last week.

After the disappointing result in the Queen’s final, Raducanu said: “You know, playing at home, there is no feeling like it.

“I was so just in awe of the atmosphere and in awe of the support I received all week. I couldn’t really believe it.

“Even though I know I’m playing at home, it just trumps anything that you ever really think of.

“For that, I’m really grateful, and I just see how many people are behind me and rooting for me. It means a lot, because the results don’t always go your way the whole season.

“You see things written about you or spoken about you, but when you play at home, you’re just reminded how much support there is actually for you. It means a lot to have that.”