Venus Williams, Clijsters unseeded for Wimbledon

[June 20, 2012]  LONDON (AP) -- Five-time champion Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters are unseeded for Wimbledon for the first time in more than a decade.

The seedings were announced Wednesday for the Grand Slam tournament that starts Monday.

Top-ranked Novak Djokovic heads the men's list, and Maria Sharapova tops the women's seedings for the first time.

The women's list follows the WTA rankings, while the men's has minor changes to reflect prowess on grass.

Williams, who played in eight Wimbledon finals from 2000-09, is unseeded for the first time since her debut in 1997. She has dropped to 55th in the rankings while dealing with an autoimmune disease that can cause fatigue and joint pain.

Clijsters, ranked 53rd, is unseeded for the first time since 2000. She has won four Grand Slam titles.

[Associated Press]

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