Cash lashes out over seedings

14 April 2012

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has hit out at the seeding for this year's tournament after countryman Leyton Hewitt - ranked number two in the world - was placed at number three in the pot.

Roger Federer won his second title last year, beating American Andy Roddick in the final, which was reflected in the seedings for today's draw.

British hopeful Tim Henman is sixth behind youngster Rafael Nadal (fourth) and Marat Safin.

Asked whether he thought the order of the top three was fair, Cash, who won in 1987, told BBC Radio Five: "No, absolutely not. I think Leyton Hewitt is the number two player in the world and he should have stayed number two (in the seedings), he is a Wimbledon champion (2002), he is an Australian Open finalist.

"I don't like them tinkering with the seeds. I think there was a valid point 15, 20 years ago when grass courts were clearly very different than any other surface. The grass is not that different to even clay these days, as far as speed goes.

"The guys work the whole year to get rankings to win the grand slams and give themselves a position where they can have the opportunity to win it and for Wimbledon these days to turn around and say 'You know what, you're a Wimbledon champion, yes you won at Queen's three times, yes you got to the Australian Open final this year, but I think we'll put Andy Roddick in front of you'."

And Cash refuted the idea that Roddick's victory last week at Queen's - a hat-trick for him too - justifies his second seeding.

"He might be in slightly better form at the moment but if you said that two months ago you'd go 'no, no, Hewitt is the number two in the world easily'. Hewitt has a great record against Roddick," he said.

"Everybody's trying to avoid Federer if at all possible - and who wouldn't - but that's really given Roddick a boost, and a boost that I don't think he deserves over Hewitt."

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