Graf Ailing, but Still Is Made Wimbledon Women’s No. 1

Steffi Graf’s knee hurts too much for her to include Eastborne in her Wimbledon preparation, but that hasn’t kept her from being installed as the top-seeded woman for tennis’ most renowned fortnight.

Graf had been scheduled to play the Eastborne grass-court event this week for the first time since the mid-1990s, and she traveled to the resort last week to prepare to play on grass.

Instead, she aggravated a tendinitis condition in her knee while practicing and playing a Sunday exhibition against Karina Habsudova in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Graf has been beset by injuries for the past two years, mostly back problems but more recently foot ailments that required surgery.

She is the defending and six-time Wimbledon champion and could meet second-seeded Monica Seles in the final.

Thomas Muster, a clay-court master who had never won a match on grass until this year, was seeded seventh among men at Wimbledon and upset about it.

He is ranked second in the world and won three matches last week on grass at Queens. Three-time defending champion Pete Sampras is ranked and seeded No. 1.

“If Wimbledon didn’t seed by rankings we would be better off having a ranking list for each surface,” Muster said.

Unlike most tournaments, Wimbledon takes into account a player’s success on grass in its seedings. Muster has played at Wimbledon four times and lost in the first round each time.