Andy Murray's Wimbledon seeding will not be harmed by world ranking drop

Andy Murray has slipped to No8 in the world rankings as he prepares to defend his Wimbledon title. Photograph: Hugo Avila/AP

Andy Murray will be seeded significantly higher than his world ranking of eight when he defends his Wimbledon title, tournament organisers have confirmed.

The Scot has slipped down the ATP rankings, largely as a result of back surgery that has kept him from competing, since becoming the first British man to win Wimbledon for 77 years last July. But the All England Club chairman, Philip Brook, said Wimbledon's seeding system would continue to take into account previous performances on grass and would therefore benefit Murray.

Points are added for achievements in grasscourt tournaments in the past 12 months, with extra points awarded for their best performance in the previous year.

"For Andy Murray, as the winner of Queen's last year and the winner here last year, and a finalist here in 2012, there will be a significant impact on him," Brook said. He added that the seeding system would also have "significant" positive impact on the seven-times champion Roger Federer and last year's beaten finalist, Novak Djokovic.

Link to video: Wimbledon prize money increased to £25m by All England Lawn Tennis Club

The quirks of the Wimbledon seeding system should conspire to save Murray from a difficult draw that could have undermined his chances of retaining his title. At its annual spring press conference to preview the coming championships, Brook said that overall prize fund would increase 10.8% on last year to a total of £25m. The increase is marginally weighted towards those that go out in the early rounds, which Brook said was a recognition of those who needed the extra income most.

The additional prize money for first- round losers, who will now receive £27,000, means that they have received an increase of 135% over the past three years. The All England Club's chief executive, Richard Lewis, denied that the increased payments rewarded failure.

"They have worked hard to get here for 12 months either through their world ranking or through qualifying. Being in a main draw of a grand slam means they are world-class players," he said. "The costs and expenses involved in being a top-100 player are huge and while they are not pleading poverty they are not making huge sums of money for world-class athletes."

The men's and women's singles champions will receive £1.76m each, an increase of 10% on 2013 and an overall rise of 60% over three years.

Brook confirmed that plans to revamp the grounds, partly funded by a new £100m Centre Court debenture scheme, were on track. Courts 14 and 15 will be out of action this year due to continuing work to create new facilities beneath them. He said the new roof on No1 court, due to be finished by 2019, would be based on the design of the Centre Court roof introduced five years ago and that the redesign would increase capacity by 900.

Brook also unveiled a string of new international broadcast deals and a revamped mobile phone app, claiming that the appeal of the tournament around the world continued to grow.

The AELTC said it had not yet received any approach for a wild card from Marion Bartoli, last year's women's champion who retired in August, amid persistent speculation she may return. "The rumours in France have not reached London yet, so we'll wait and see," said Brook.