Nicolas Almagro withdraws from Australian Open

Almagro's absence in Melbourne is almost certain to adversely affect his world ranking, as he reached the quarter-finals last year before being beaten in a five-set thriller by fellow-Spaniard David Ferrer.

Spain's world number 13 Nicolas Almagro has pulled out of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season, due to a shoulder injury, he announced on Wednesday.

"I can tell you that I will not be able to go to Australia, now I need to continue recuperating and look to the future with optimism," he posted on his official Twitter account.

Almagro had already pulled out of this week's event in Sydney due to the injury.

His absence in Melbourne is almost certain to adversely affect his world ranking, as he reached the quarter-finals last year before being beaten in a five-set thriller by fellow-Spaniard David Ferrer.