Tennis: Agassi pulls out of Open

ANDRE AGASSI and Richard Krajicek have withdrawn from the Australian Open championships starting on 17 January, tournament officials announced yesterday.

Agassi, the 1992 Wimbledon champion, has pulled out of the tournament because of a wrist

injury. Krajicek, the world No 15 from the Netherlands, has a knee problem.

For Agassi, who is yet to make his debut in the event - he pulled out last January because of tonsillitis - it represents another setback for the American who has achieved little since beating Goran Ivanisevic for his first and only Grand Slam title.

Despite sliding down the rankings this year to 24th, he was to be one of the main attractions in Melbourne, but the 23-year-old

advised the International Management Group he had a wrist operation early this week and would be out of action for up to a month.

Graeme Hannan, the IMG vice-president, said Agassi's niggling injury had not responded to cortisone injections. 'He will not look at a tennis racket for another three or four weeks and it will probably be March before he is playing competitively again,' he said.