(June 22, 2013) It’s all a matter of chance when it comes to any draw in the world of tennis. On Friday the No. 2 seed Andy Murray, No. 3 Roger Federer and No. 5 Rafael Nadal all saw themselves land in the bottom half of the Wimbledon draw, with No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 4 David Ferrer on the top half.
With Rafael Nadal off the tour for seven months with a knee injury, his ranking fell to No. 5 in the world.
“It is what it is now,’ Djokovic said in a Saturday pre-Wimbledon news conference. “I mean, some people would say that I was, you know, lucky with the draw.”
“It’s Grand Slam, so I don’t think that there is any easy way to the title, the world No. 1 continued.
“The best players in the world are playing in this tournament, the most valuable, most prestigious tournament in the world.
“Everybody wants to play well, so I got to take it slowly and think only about my next opponent.”
Nadal was asked if his seed of No. 5 was fair.
“I am No. 5 in the world today, so the rankings say is a longer discussion,” Nadal told media. “Is the way that the ranking is doing. Is completely fair that I am No. 5. I am No. 5 and David is No. 4. He win his privilege to be No. 4 before me, and that’s it.”
“The rankings say that these kind of things can happen,” the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon winner said. “So I know you are talking about Andy and Roger probably, but I don’t see them before quarterfinals and semifinals.”
“So I have a long way to work before that.”
2012 Wimbledon runner up Murray gave his reaction to the draw and and spoke about whether Nadal should have been a higher seed.
“I don’t think it should have been,” Murray said. “I mean, last year, you know, Rafa, he lost in the second round of Wimbledon. Yes, it was a shock and it was a big surprise.
“But with the way our ranking system works, having a one‑year ranking, it’s very, very difficult to maintain your ranking if you get an injury.
“Even with the formula and stuff, because of Rafa’s result here last year it was always going to be difficult for him to move up in the seedings.
“You know, Ferrer made the quarters of Wimbledon last year, made the semis of the US Open, he made semis at the Australian Open, made the final here [sic]. The guy deserves to be seeded where he is. It’s not like he’s got there by fluke.
“ Hopefully I’ll be able to put myself in a position where that becomes relevant,’ said the Scot, because that would mean getting to the semifinals, and I’d love to be there.”
Wimbledon begins on Monday, June 24.