"Interesting decision now" - Andre Agassi's former coach debates No. 1 and No. 2 seeding at Wimbledon between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz, fresh off his victory at the Queen's Club Championships, has reclaimed the World No.1 spot from Novak Djokovic. In light of this, Andre Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert, known for his deep understanding of tennis, has stirred a conversation over the upcoming Wimbledon seeding.

Gilbert posted a tweet applauding Alcaraz's commendable effort, emphasizing the Spaniard's return to the pinnacle of world tennis. Alcaraz has reached the top of the ATP Tour for the sixth time this year. However, the coach also hinted at an intriguing decision Wimbledon might face in terms of seeding Alcaraz or Djokovic as number one.

The full tweet read:

"Great effort Escape from Alcaraz taking Queens 🏆 the musical 🎤 chair 🪑 at number one ☝️ again the 6th time this year on @atptour interesting 🤨 decision now for @Wimbledon seeding,CA number one ☝️ or Djoker, if there is any grass formula anymore."

Gilbert's tweet brings to light a potential issue in Wimbledon's seeding system. The pertinent question is whether the reigning No. 1, Alcaraz, or the Serbian titan, Novak Djokovic, should be given the top seeding for Wimbledon.

Traditionally, the All England Club has occasionally tweaked the seeding based on a player's performance on grass. This gives Djokovic an edge, as he is a multiple-time Wimbledon champion. However, Alcaraz's recent accomplishments make the decision a subject of much debate.

Brad Gilbert's subsequent tweet further delved into the implications of seeding placements, particularly between the top five. He tweeted:

"There is no real difference between 1-2 seedings much bigger affect for draw ✍️ 2-3 and 4-5, on☝️ change that should happen in my humble opinion, in quarters should go in groups of 2, so should be 1-2 vs 7-8. I think 🤔 ridiculous can be 1 vs 5 and 4-8 in worst case scenario."

In the above tweet, Gilbert discussed the impact of seeding on the draw's structure. He suggested a fundamental shift in the pairing mechanism to ensure a more equitable distribution.

Brad Gilbert feels that being ranked first or second doesn't really change much for a player in a tournament like Wimbledon. The players they'll face in the early stages of the tournament will be more or less similar in skill and ranking.

However, he believes that being ranked second or third, and fourth or fifth, can lead to facing noticeably tougher or easier opponents early in the tournament. This doesn't seem fair to him.

He then suggested a change to how the quarterfinals should be set up. In the quarterfinals, there are eight players left. Gilbert believes that it would be better if the top two players (those ranked first and second) played against those ranked seventh and eighth. This way, the matches would be more balanced, and it would be fairer to all players.

In the current system, the first-ranked player can end up playing against someone ranked as low as fifth in the quarterfinals. Someone ranked fourth can play against any player ranked from fifth to eighth. Gilbert thinks this is not the best scenario, as it doesn't guarantee that the best players reach the final stages of the tournament.

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Carlos Alcaraz clinches maiden grasscourt victory at the Queen's Club Championships

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates the championship point at cinch Championships

Spanish young gun Carlos Alcaraz added yet another feather to his cap. He clinched his first-ever ATP title on the lush green courts at the Queen's Club Championships.

This victory on Sunday (June 25) has catapulted him back to the pinnacle of ATP rankings. He could enter the forthcoming Wimbledon tournament as the No. 1 seed.

Experiencing a challenging start in the initial set, Alcaraz triumphed over Alex De Minaur with a scoreline of 6-4, 6-4. This win marks the fifth this year for Alcaraz, bringing his career total to 11.

This success helps the 20-year-old prodigy leapfrog Novak Djokovic in the rankings, placing him as a potential threat to the Serb's reign at Wimbledon. Alcaraz's performance in the last year's edition saw him bow out in the fourth round to Jannik Sinner.

Sunday's final also marked a significant milestone for Alcaraz. It was his first title shot on a grass court, despite only playing in his third tournament on this surface throughout his nascent career.

A critical juncture in the match came in the eighth game of the first set, where Alcaraz staved off two break points. He then capitalized in the following game by breaking De Minaur's serve and comfortably served to win the set.

The second set was won with a single break point. It came when De Minaur faltered with a double fault, gifting Alcaraz an advantage. The Spaniard seized his first match point, capitalizing on the long return from the Australian, to lift his first title on grass.