Melbourne - German Nicolas Kiefer on Saturday lost his fight for fitness, withdrawing from the Australian Open due to an ankle injury he suffered a week ago.
Kiefer had been hoping for a miracle recovery after turning his ankle during a match in Perth at the Hopman Cup.
He was taken off of court in a wheelchair and later underwent a hospital scan which showed tendon and ligament damage.
The 31-year-old fell victim to the worst possible luck as he suffered a freak mishap while leading Slovakia's Domink Hrbaty 3-1 in their group match.
Melbourne - Rafael Nadal Saturday followed the lead of Roger Federer, saying he would prefer if the Australian Open were played in February instead of its traditional January date.
"I would love (to) have the first Grand Slam of the season a little bit later," said the top seed. "You start the season and after one week you are playing one of the most important tournaments of the year."
Sydney - Roads were being closed in Adelaide on Saturday to pen back the legions of Lance Armstrong fans thronging the usually sleepy Australian south-coast city for the return to competition of the seven-time Tour de France victor.
"For him to be here and racing in the Tour Down Under is unbelievable," said breathless admirer Allan Davis.
Melbourne - Roger Federer dominated good friend Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3, taking just 57 minutes on Saturday to secure his second title in five years at the AAMI Classic.
"I've played plenty of matches going into the Open, the health is not an issue," said the winner. "I'm fresh and fit and ready to go. Things are the way I was hoping them to be."
Melbourne - Serena Williams Saturday said she plans to spend plenty of time alone in her hotel room, downloading films and TV shows and making her own entertainment in between matches at the Australian Open.
Calling herself "terrible" for Hollywood balance sheets, the three-time champion has become a huge fan of on-demand entertainment.
"I love to watch TV, I've gotten into iTunes," she said. "I'm terrible for the whole music industry and movie industry because I download movies and music and TV shows.
Melbourne - Roger Federer has told officials at the AAMI Classic not to panic over reports that Middle Eastern money will swamp the traditional Australian Open tune-up events.
"I told him not to be concerned," said the Swiss number two, who has again perfected his game at the eight-man special event at Kooyong club, the former home of the Open until two decades ago.
Melbourne - German Nicolas Kiefer on Saturday lost his fight for fitness, withdrawing from the Australian Open due to an ankle injury he suffered a week ago.
Melbourne - Rafael Nadal Saturday followed the lead of Roger Federer, saying he would prefer if the Australian Open were played in February instead of its traditional January date.
Sydney - Roads were being closed in Adelaide on Saturday to pen back the legions of Lance Armstrong fans thronging the usually sleepy Australian south-coast city for the return to competition of the seven-time Tour de France victor.
Melbourne - Roger Federer dominated good friend Stan Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3, taking just 57 minutes on Saturday to secure his second title in five years at the AAMI Classic.
Melbourne - Serena Williams Saturday said she plans to spend plenty of time alone in her hotel room, downloading films and TV shows and making her own entertainment in between matches at the Australian Open.
Melbourne - Roger Federer has told officials at the AAMI Classic not to panic over reports that Middle Eastern money will swamp the traditional Australian Open tune-up events.
