US Open Tennis 2011: Should Serena Williams Have Been the No. 1 Seed?

There had been much debate about where Serena Williams should be seeded at this year's US Open, but she was ultimately seeded 28th.

Serena Williams has shot up in the rankings recently and this week and is now ranked 29th in the world—up from 175th in July. It was then reported in July that Serena Williams had used her protected No. 1 ranking to gain direct entry into the field of the US Open. Williams has been injured for more than six months and is entitled to use this special ranking to enter up to eight tournaments, including one Grand Slam.

At the last Grand Slam Serena Williams was seeded significantly higher and at Wimbledon, Williams was seeded seventh—19 places ahead of her ranking at the time. Of course, in that tournament Serena Williams also lost in the fourth round.

However, regardless of her seeding, there is surely no doubt that Serena Williams is the favorite. The latest betting odds concur with this view. Bet365 have installed her as the 6/4 favorite ahead of Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka.

The rankings in the women's game don't count for an awful lot in comparison to the men. Certainly, there are some talented athletes, but a lack of consistency across the Grand Slams makes the information unreliable. For instance, world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki has never won a Grand Slam.

Serena Williams appears to be the stand-out candidate to win the US Open. Therefore, it is right to question the seeding system used there this year. Williams is now fully fit and raring to go after recent tournament wins in Toronto and Stanford and the rest of the women's tennis world should be very scared.

The organizers at Wimbledon this year decided that despite spending many months out of action with injury and illness, Serena Williams is still a significant threat. Therefore, they installed her as the seventh seed, despite the fact that her ranking was well below that. In truth, Williams was never going to have a chance after spending so long out.

So are the organizers at the US Open disrespecting Serena Williams' ability by seeding her 28th?

Certainly Williams should be seeded higher after winning 13 Grand Slam titles—a figure that includes being a champion at the US Open three times. Some feel that, given her past record and reputation, Williams should be the No. 1 seed at the US Open.

Follow me on Twitter