Rising star Djokovic follows Nadal in withdrawing from Thai Open

NONTHABURI, Thailand -- The ATP Thailand Open suffered another big blow Tuesday when Serbian world No. 3 Novak Djokovic withdrew from the event, citing a back injury. He will be fined $40,000 for the late withdrawal.

The tournament lost its second star after French Open champion Rafael Nadal pulled out Sunday with a knee injury. He was replaced by George Bastl of Switzerland.

Andy Roddick, who just touched down in Bangkok on Tuesday morning, is now the highest ranked player in the draw.

"I think we all know that Asia is a pretty important part of the growth in tennis. I'm happy to be here," he said.

He added seeing different parts of the world is one of the things he loves about tennis, but the jet lag and the time difference make things difficult.

"It's tough traveling and playing. I'm not sure what time it is right now, but I will be OK tomorrow," he said.

In the opening action, Mischa Zverev of Germany, last year's quarterfinalist, downed American Michael Russell 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Qualifier Dominik Meffert of Germany moved past Amer Delic 7-5, 6-1.

Fifth-seeded Carlos Moya crashed out, losing to German Benjamin Becker 6-7 (5-7), 4-6 in one hour and 24 minutes. Becker ended his seven-match losing streak with the upset win over the former Roland Garros winner.

Seventh-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia fired 23 aces to beat Feliciano Lopez of Spain 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 while Michael Llodra of France beat Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia 7-6 (7-2), 7-5.