Serena Williams won't be seeded at French Open, her first major since giving birth

If she wants to win the French Open for a fourth time, Serena Williams will have to do it the hard way.

In her first major tournament since going on maternity leave, Williams won't be seeded when the play begins Sunday on the storied clay courts of Roland Garros.

"This year again, tournament officials will establish the list and ranking of the women's seeds based on the WTA ranking," the French Tennis Federation said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Consequently, (the seeds) will reflect this week's world ranking."

Williams was ranked No. 1 in the world when she left the tour. But after giving birth to her daughter in September and just now returning to action, she is ranked No. 453. As a result, the 23-time Grand Slam champion could end up facing highly ranked players in the early rounds.

Current rules for maternity leave and injuries allow a protected or "special" ranking to govern entry into tournaments but not for seeding, regardless of the reason for a player's absence.

The WTA is considering a rule change to add protected seeding for highly ranked players returning from maternity leave but the earliest that could take effect is next year.

"I would like to see that (rule) change," Maria Sharapova said at the Italian Open last week. "Tennis is such a selfish sport, but I think when there's a child in your life you lose a little bit of that because there's something that's so much more important."

Other players also offered their support for Williams.

"It's normal to give birth. It's normal to have protected ranking. ... It's more than tennis," top-ranked Simona Halep said. "So the people will decide what seed she will get. But in my opinion it's good to protect the ranking when someone is giving birth."

The French Open draw will be revealed Thursday.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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