The Spaniards and clay-courters can whine as much as they want but Wimbledon got it just about right yesterday when they announced 32 seeds for the first time in a Grand Slam.

Who could seriously doubt that Pete Sampras was not deserving of his No 1 status after virtually a decade of supremacy in SW19?

Or that Tim Henman - with two semis, two quarter-finals and a fourth round appearance - has not proved over the last five years that he is second in consistency and style on grass only to the American legend?

Tim Henman

The Oxfordshire player has to be satisfied with a No 6 seeding, five places above his world ranking and which gives him a supreme opportunity on current form of becoming the first Briton to win the men's singles for the first time since Fred Perry back in 1936.

True, Marat Safin will grumble that he should have been ahead of Sampras, but the Russian has never been beyond the second round at Wimbledon.

He proved last week at Queen's that his lumbering movement does not match his big-hitting on tennis's fastest surface.

In the women's tournament reigning champion Venus Williams has more reason to be aggrieved at being placed behind Martina Hingis, who has not won a Grand Slam in two years.

Henman is a 9-1 fourth favourite to win Wimbledon. William Hills make Pete Sampras 15-8 favourite.

Venus Williams is a 9-4 favourite to retain her women's title.

Anna Kournikova and Monica Seles yesterday pulled out of Wimbledon due to foot injuries.

TOP 16 SEEDS

Men: 1 P Sampras, 2 A Agassi, 3 P Rafter, 4 M Safin, 5 L Hewitt, 6 T Henman, 7 Y Kafelnikov, 8 J Ferrero, 9 S Grosjrean, 10 T Enqvist, 11 T Johansson, 12 J-M Gambill, 13 A Clement, 14 W Ferreira, 15 R Federer, 16 V Voltchkov.

Women: 1 M Hingis, 2 V Williams, 3 L Davenport, 4 J Capriati, 5 S Williams, 6 A Mauresmo, 7 K Clijsters, 8 J Henin, 9 N Tauziat, 10 E Dementieva, 11 A Coetzer, 12 M Maleeva, 13 A Sanchez Vicario, 14 J Dokic, 15 S Testud, 16 Farina Elia.