Tennis: Steffi Graf has withdrawn from the Hopman Cup mixed team event

Germany's Steffi Graf has withdrawn from the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth, Australia because of a virus, tournament officials said yesterday. Her placed alongside Bernd Karnacher will be taken by Petra Begerow, who is ranked 63rd in the world. Graf expects to be fit for the Australian Open.

Bulgaria's Katerina Maleeva will retire from the Corel WTA Tour next week, her management company, Advantage International, announced last night. The 27-year-old, who won 11 singles titles during her 13-year career, is the third former top-10 player to retire this year after Gabriela Sabatini, of Argentina, and Kimiko Date, of Japan.