SEEDING: AN EXPLANATION
Seeding is something that there is an enormous amount of interest in. It's sometimes mysterious to players. Here is one of the better explanations I have read about seeding. Seeding is in a nutshell, the separation of the best players, in the determination of the tournament committee, based on a variety of factors.

The following information on seeding should be used as a general reference for players, coaches, referees, and tournament directors. The information on seeding is taken from Friend at Court, the USTA Handbook of tennis rules and regulations.

If you would like a complete listing of the rules of tennis, you can order Friend at Court by calling the USTA Bookstore at 1-888-832-8291.

While there is no requirement that every tournament have seedings, most tournaments of the elimination type, as distinguished from round-robin competitions, use seedings to ensure that players of recognized outstanding ability do not confront
each other in the early rounds.

1. Seeding. The Tournament Committee shall determine the seedings.

2. Number of seeds. For draws larger than 64, the preferred pattern is to seed one for each eight players. For draws of 64 and below, the preferred pattern is to seed one for each four players if the Tournament Committee has sufficient information, or if for any reason, it believes such action is justified. The Tournament Committee may seed players at a maximum ratio of one seed for every four players or major fraction thereof (i.e., two or three players more than an even multiple of four does justify an additional seed; one player more does not). Notwithstanding the above, even the smallest tournament may have one
or two seeds. (Note from editor: there is no need to seed fewer than 2 players as it does nothing to separate the best players.)

3. Listing of seeds. The Referee shall list the seeded players on the draw sheet in numerical order to the extent that the Referee has information available to do so, and then the Referee shall list all other seeded players in groups. For example, if the first 5 seeds are numerically seeded, seeds 6 through 8 could be grouped.

4. Factors to consider in seeding. Seedings merely represent the committee's subjective ratings of the various players' chances of winning the tournament. These ratings may not be based on whim, caprice, or hunches, but instead shall
be justified by a reasonable amount of factual evidence. The committee shall consider all available evidence, including, but not limited to, rankings, current records, seeding/selection list, seeding coordinators, types of surface and particularly
head-to-head encounters. Two outstanding doubles players playing together for the first time should be considered for a place on the seeded list.

5. Common errors in seeding. Illustrative of some common errors in seeding are: "He's ranked No. 1, so he must be seeded No. 1"; "She won the tournament last year so she must be seeded No. 1 this year"; "Since this is his first year as a
senior and he has no record in senior play, he can't be seeded or he cannnot be seeded any higher than five."

6. Correcting an error in seeding. If the Tournament Committee decides that it has made an error in seeding the players, it may correct the error only if no affected seeded player has begun a match. If the seeding committee decides to correct the error, it should first redo the list of seeded players. The "numbered
seeds" will remain on the same lines. The seeded players' names are moved to new lines corresponding to the number of their new seeded positions. If after the revision of the seeding any original seed is no longer seeded, then the displaced
seed and all other non-seeded players who have not yet begun a match will draw for the line vacated by the new seed. If the displaced seed is not drawn to the vacated line, the displaced seed is placed on the line of the player who is drawn to the vacated line.