Top players are limping into start of Aussie Open

By Diane Pucin

Los Angeles Times

The Australian Open begins Monday in Melbourne (today in the U.S.) and the injury scorecard is already cluttered before the season’s first major.

Serena Williams already has hurt her ankle and Venus Williams didn’t make the trip to Australia as she deals with an autoimmune disorder that she disclosed at the 2011 U.S. Open.

Roger Federer has been spotted clutching at his achy back. Rafael Nadal has been seen using a bag with wheels to cart around his tennis gear instead of slinging one over a sore shoulder.

Caroline Wozniacki has had an MRI exam of her wrist and Kim Clijsters missed a practice session, possibly because of a pain in her hip. Tenth-ranked Andrea Petkovic is already gone, having been diagnosed with a stress fracture in her back.

And Ivan Lendl is coaching Andy Murray now. Lendl was an iron man when he played, so maybe it’s no coincidence that Murray seems to have no physical complaints.

Novak Djokovic, who finished last year with a 70-6 record and three of the four major titles, including the Australian, is seeded No. 1 in the men’s draw and Wozniacki, who is ranked No. 1 in the world but has yet to win a major championship, is the top-seeded woman.

Clijsters, the defending women’s champion, is seeded 11th and Serena Williams, who owns five Australian Open titles, is seeded 12th.

If there is a sentimental favorite it might be the 30-year-old Federer whose eight-year streak of winning at least one major championship ended last year.

But after Federer squandered two match points in the fifth set of his semifinal loss at the 2011 U.S. Open to Djokovic, he went on to finish the season with 17 straight wins, including titles at Basel, Switzerland, Paris and the ATP season-ending championships at London.

Federer, though, withdrew from the Qatar Open earlier this month because of a sore back. It was only the second time in his career Federer has withdrawn during an event.

Serena Williams didn’t play the Australian Open last year while she was recovering from a series of injuries and illnesses that kept her away from tennis for nearly 12 months.