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Tennis player Serena Williams reveals that being the mother of a girl has made her a stronger advocate of Purple Purse, a charity against domestic violence. She also says that she intends to compete at Wimbledon. (June 21st)
AP

In a photo on July 9, 2016, Serena Williams (USA) reacts in her match against Angelique Kerber (GER) at Wimbledon.(Photo: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY HUI Sports)

The extraordinary career of Serena Williams, the only woman to have won 23 Grand Slam titles in the open, says a lot about the Wimbledon selection committee that announced Wednesday that she has rewarded with 25th place on the women's main draw.

Wimbledon reserves the right to abandon the standings by making its debut and propelled Williams, currently ranked 183rd, seven-time Wimbledon champion, in a prime position just behind the 24th seed, Maria Sharapova. Williams' eldest sister, Venus, is ranked ninth on the board.

The press release announcing the seeds of this year offered this explanation to tinker with the top seeds: "The ranking order follows the WTA ranking, unless, in the opinion of the tennis subcommittee a change is needed. "

The decision of Wimbledon comes a month after the Open de France refused to Williams, three times winner of the Open de France, to impose solitary lonely Grand Slam. Williams reached the fourth round in Paris, but retired from his encounter with Sharapova because of a pectoral injury. Williams will discover his first-round opponent on Friday when the draws will be released.

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Williams is back on tour after an extended maternity leave, which began immediately after she won her 23rd Grand Slam trophy at the 2017 Australian Open. She has played in three tournaments – Indian Wells, Miami and Roland-Garros – since the birth of his daughter, Alexis Olympia, last September.

Of course, although Wimbledon did not rank strictly according to the standings, Wimbledon played mostly musical chairs with those already in the 32-seat hallway.

They also made adjustments to the men's standings, including eight-time Wimbledon champion and second-seeded Roger Federer and beating recent Roland Garros champion and world number one Rafael Nadal in second place, and the recent finalist in Australian Open and fifth ranked Croatia's Marin Cilic in third place in sowing.

However, by placing Williams in the top rankings of the top 32, this means that some players – in this case Dominika Cibulkova, 32nd player of Slovakia – were inevitably unhappy because they believed it was intended for seeding.

On Tuesday, when Cibulkova, a quarter-finalist from Wimbledon who played this week at the Eastbourne tournament, was questioned about losing her ranking at Williams, she did not start at all. complaint. Less than an hour later, however, she returned to the media center to file her revised opinion with some British reporters.

"I have the right and I should be sown," Cibulkova told reporters. "If we put it in front of me, then I'll just lose the place I'm supposed to have.

"My opinion on this is that I do not think it's right and I do not think it's the right thing to do.

"It's a really different thing if they change the seedling." "If you're not ranked because of someone else and you deserve to have it." the place you really have, I think it is not correct.Why would not I be sown when I have the right to be?

Venus Williams (left) and Serena Williams share a moment in their doubles match against Andreja Klepac and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez at the 2018 French Open at Roland Garros on June 3rd. (Photo: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY HUI Sports)

Maternity and maternity leave is a new hot topic for WTA Tour players – the former world champion # 1 and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka is also on the way back since the birth of Leo in December 2016. Azarenka should play at Wimbledon and is ranked 87th.

The United States Tennis Association has already announced its intention to take a pro-active stance by sowing new mothers, if any. The policy must begin at the US Open next August.

"Having a player of Williams' caliber playing a big no-number event next to his name not only disrupts the competitive balance of the draw, he also seems to downplay the innumerable achievements of a woman who owns the most of "Grand Slam" tennis crowns "Open Era," said Katrina Adams, chairman of the USTA board of directors and president in an article on USOpen.org.

"Basically, this is reminiscent of the fact that the CEO of a large company that took leave to have a child can start working by accepting a job at the top level.

"Pregnancy is not an injury." Having children is not a handicap. "Choosing maternity should not mean sacrificing a position that has been won by hard work, talent, and resolution. USTA is committed to ensuring that the women who helped build the fame of the event are not penalized for wanting to too. "

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