Safin pullout fuels Aussie doubt - 俄網 Tennis

Marat Safin is increasingly unlikely to defend his Australian Open title
because of a knee injury, tournament director Paul McNamee said on
Tuesday. Safin has not played since August and is facing a race against
time to be ready for the Australian Open, starting at Melbourne Park on
Jan. 16.

The Russian announced his withdrawal from the Hopman Cup, one of the
lead-up events for the Open, in a statement on his website.

"Not playing this tournament, which was an important part of his
preparation for Melbourne, certainly puts him behind the eight ball,"
McNamee told reporters on Tuesday.

"There is certainly a big question mark over his participation in the Open."

Safin won his first Australian Open this year, beating Roger Federer in the
semi-finals then coming from a set down to defeat Lleyton Hewitt in the
final.

He has been plagued by knee trouble since tearing a ligament at
Wimbledon and has not played since the Cincinnati Masters Series in
August.

McNamee said he was still waiting on news about Spain's French Open
champion Rafael Nadal after the world number two withdrew from the
Indian Open in Chennai.

Nadal told organisers he was pulling out of next week's season-opening
event because of a foot injury that forced him to miss the Masters Cup.

"There is no more information other than he's pulled out of Chennai,"
McNamee told Australian radio.

"Fingers crossed there. He's obviously the number two for Melbourne and
a pretty big guy there."

Australian Open organisers are also hoping Maria Sharapova and
four-times champion Andre Agassi will recover for the event.

Sharapova withdrew from the Australian women's hardcourt
championships, which she had intended to use as a warm-up, because of a
shoulder problem while Agassi is battling a long-term ankle injury.

Players have been asking for the first grand slam of the year, which is
traditionally held in the last two weeks of January, to be moved back to
March when the weather is cooler and also to give them a longer break.

It is not unusual for top players to miss the Australian Open through injury
and this year's casualties included defending champion Justine
Henin-Hardenne, beaten finalist Kim Clijsters and Jennifer Capriati, the
2001 and 2002 winner.

Tennis Australia officials did agree to push the 2007 tournament back one
week but later scrapped the plan and reverted back to the original dates.

Safin退出霍普曼盃
他的腳傷該不會還沒好吧...
如果真的還沒復原
希望他不要帶傷上陣
如果有傷還硬要打球只會越弄越糟
到時候一整年跟今年下半一樣就完了

我只是假設啦 當然是希望他腳傷好了
帶給我們一個精采的2006年
Safin 加油~


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