Novak Djokovic top seed at Wimbledon in absence of Medvedev and Zverev

Serbian star Novak Djokovic will head into next week's Wimbledon as the men's top seed after Russian world No 1 Daniil Medvedev was barred from taking part in the championships while Germany's second-ranked Alexander Zverev remained injured.

Organisers of the grasscourt Grand Slam have banned players from Russia and Belarus from playing at this year's Wimbledon following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

This will be the first edition of the tournament since 2019 that will be played in front of a full capacity, but things are still not completely normal.

Wimbledon's decision to bar Russian and Belarusian players has had serious repercussions, with the ATP and WTA deciding to withhold ranking points from the tournament.

Medvedev and women's No 5 Aryna Sabalenka are among those to be banned, while it remains to be seen how many leading players decide not to enter because of the lack of points on offer.

Djokovic, who was unable to defend his 2021 Australian Open title and the 2,000 ranking points he earned due to his non-vaccinated status, recently lost his No 1 spot to Medvedev.

Rafael Nadal during a practice session on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. PA

The Serbian, who has won the last three editions of the grasscourt major, will slip further down the rankings after Wimbledon as he will lose another 2,000 points with the ATP and WTA stripping the tournament of points.

The absence of Medvedev and Zverev means Nadal, who is halfway through a possible calendar year Slam after winning the Australian and French Open titles, is seeded second.

It also results in Djokovic and Nadal finding themselves in different halves of the draw and they cannot face each other until the men's final on July 10. The duo met in this year's Roland Garros