Sampras, Hingis top seeds for Wimbledon

Defending men's champion Pete Sampras and women's world number one Martina Hingis were named top seeds for Wimbledon on Monday as organisers stuck to their policy of promoting grasscourt experts.

Despite a threatened revolt by leading claycourt players, organisers have continued to push players who have little experience on grass down the seedings ladder.

Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, fourth in the ATP Tour rankings, has been seeded eighth. Ferrero, who has only ever played one match on grass, may now consider whether to miss the two-week tournament starting next Monday.

World number one Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil and Spaniard Alex Corretja, finalists in the claycourt French Open, have already withdrawn from Wimbledon through injury after repeatedly expressing concern over its seedings policy.

Sampras, a Wimbledon champion seven times, is fifth in the 12-month rankings but is ranked number one seed ahead of Andre Agassi, who lost to his fellow American in the 1999 final.

Pat Rafter of Australia, losing finalist last year, is seeded third although he is 10th in the 12-month rankings on which tournament seedings are normally based.

Britain's Tim Henman, losing finalist in Sunday's Stella Artois final on grass, is seeded sixth behind Lleyton Hewitt of Australia (fifth) and Marat Safin of Russia (fourth).

Vladimir Voltchkov of Belarus, 30th in the rankings, is seeded 16th after reaching last year's semifinals.

The top seven women's seeds follow the latest WTA rankings - Hingis (Switzerland), defending champion Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams (all U.S.), Amelie Mauresmo (France) and Kim Clijsters (Belgium).

Leading male claycourt players had threatened to boycott Wimbledon over its seeds policy. Corretja and Albert Costa withdrew at the last minute in 2000 after not being seeded.

In response, organisers abolished their controversial seedings committee for the men's draw and said they would double the number of seeds to 32. But they reserved the right to rank seeds according to their proficiency on grass.

Monica Seles, eighth in the women's rankings, pulled out injured earlier on Monday as did Anna Kournikova of Russia, 11th in the rankings.

Kournikova has been suffering from a stress fracture in her left foot since the end of February while Seles has also had her season disrupted by a foot injury.

Mary Pierce of France had already withdrawn because of a back injury while the men's draw lacks Mark Philippoussis, former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek and Marcelo Rios.