Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek Draw No. 1 Seeds at Wimbledon

21 June 2022, United Kingdom, London: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in action during a practice session ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. (dpa)
21 June 2022, United Kingdom, London: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in action during a practice session ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. (dpa)
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Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek Draw No. 1 Seeds at Wimbledon

21 June 2022, United Kingdom, London: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in action during a practice session ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. (dpa)
21 June 2022, United Kingdom, London: Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic in action during a practice session ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. (dpa)

Six-time and defending champion Novak Djokovic and French Open winner Iga Swiatek were announced Tuesday as the top seeds for the fortnight of Wimbledon, set to begin Monday in London.

While Swiatek is the No. 1 women's player in the world, the No. 1 men's player in the world, Daniil Medvedev, will not participate in the grass-court Grand Slam. The All England Club in April opted to block all Russian and Belarusian players from this year's tournament due to their countries' role in the invasion of Ukraine.

World men's No. 8 Andrey Rublev is also banned. On the women's side, World No. 6 Aryna Sabalenka is also one of several players not allowed to compete.

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany is also out of the event after suffering an injury at the French Open.

Men's French Open champ Rafael Nadal is the No. 2 seed, followed by Norway's Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and teen phenom Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, Hubert Hurkacz, 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini, Cameron Norrie and Jannik Sinner round out the top 10.

In ladies' singles, Anett Kontaveit of Estonia is the No. 2 seed followed by Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, Paula Badosa of Spain and Maria Sakkari of Greece.

Last year's runner-up Karolina Pliskova, Danielle Collins, Jessica Pegula, 2017 champion Garbine Muguruza and US Open champ Emma Raducanu round out the top 10.

Ashleigh Barty won the women's 2021 Wimbledon title but elected to retire earlier this year.

The Wimbledon singles draw will be announced Friday. Djokovic and Swiatek are the betting favorites to win.



'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
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'World's Oldest Marathon Runner' Dies Aged 114 in Road Accident

 (FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)
(FILES) Indian-born British national Fauja Singh (C) waves a Hong Kong flag after crossing the finish line in the 10-km event as part of the Hong Kong Marathon on February 24, 2013. (Photo by Dale DE LA REY / AFP)

India's Fauja Singh, believed to be the world's oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said Tuesday.

Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the "Turbaned Tornado", died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state's Jalandhar district on Monday, AFP reported.

"My Turbaned Tornado is no more," Fauja's biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X.

"He was struck by an unidentified vehicle... in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja."

Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911.

He ran full marathons (42 kilometer) till the age of 100.

His last race was a 10-kilometer (six-mile) event at the 2013 Hong Kong Marathon when 101, where he finished in one hour, 32 minutes and 28 seconds.

He became an international sensation after taking up distance running at the ripe old age of 89, after the death of his wife and one of his sons, inspired by seeing marathons on television.

Although widely regarded as the world's oldest marathon runner, he was not certified by Guinness World Records as he could not prove his age, saying that birth certificates did not exist when he was born under British colonial rule in 2011.

Singh was a torchbearer for the Olympics at Athens 2004 and London 2012, and appeared in advertisements with sports stars such as David Beckham and Muhammad Ali.

His strength and vitality were credited to a routine of farm walks and a diet including Indian sweet "laddu" packed with dry fruits and home-churned curd.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute on social media.

"Fauja Singh was extraordinary because of his unique persona and the manner in which he inspired the youth of India on a very important topic of fitness," said Modi on X.

"He was an exceptional athlete with incredible determination. Pained by his passing away. My thoughts are with his family and countless admirers around the world."