Nadal forced to withdraw from Chennai due to foot problems

CHENNAI, India -- Rafael Nadal of Spain has withdrawn from next week's season-opening ATP Chennai Open due to lingering foot problems.

The world's second-ranked player, Nadal has failed to recover from the foot injury he sustained in the Madrid Masters final in October. His status for the January 16 Australian Open -- the first Grand Slam of the season -- is uncertain.

Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, the world's ninth-ranked player, will replace Nadal in the 32-player field.

The 19-year-old Nadal matched world No. 1 Roger Federer with 11 tournament victories in 2005. Nadal beat Federer in the French Open semifinals en route to the title, although Federer bounced back to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

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