Dokic wins wild-card at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -Former Wimbledon semifinalist Jelena Dokic won a wild-card spot at next month's Australian Open by beating Monica Wejnert 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-3 in a playoff on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Dokic, a former No. 4 in 2002, fell behind 3-0 in the opening set but recovered for the win in a playoff organized by Tennis Australia to allocate the spots for local players.

She will now attempt to qualify for tuneup tournaments in Brisbane and Hobart before taking her place in the main draw at Melbourne Park beginning Jan. 19.

"I don't have to worry about the Australian Open now,'' Dokic said. "I came into here wanting to play qualifying but to be in the main draw gives me two tournaments before the Open to play.''

A series of injuries and personal problems, many of them involving her father Damir, accompanied Dokic's ranking plummet to 617 in 2006.

But she won three second-tier titles this year and has improved her ranking to 179 - her first time inside the top 200 in four years.

Dokic moved to Australia with her family in 1994 but renounced her former home in 2001 and took up citizenship in her native Serbia. She decided to play again for Australia in 2006.

She was a semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2000, losing in straight sets to Lindsay Davenport, but made bigger headlines there the year before when, as a 16-year-old qualifier, she beat No. 1 Martina Hingis in the first round.

Dokic, who has five career singles titles, said she no longer speaks to her father, who has been kicked out of the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and other tournaments for volatile outbursts. When the family left Australia, Damir Dokic also implied that the Australian Open draw was rigged against his daughter.

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Jankovic looking for 1st major title in 2009

LONDON (AP) -After finishing the season as the world's top-ranked tennis player, Jelena Jankovic is ready to concentrate on winning her first Grand Slam title in 2009.

The 23-year-old Serb, who reached the U.S. Open final this year and also made the semifinals at the Australian and French Opens, first took over the No. 1 ranking on Aug. 11, and then again ascended to that height on Oct. 6. She has held the top ranking for a total of 12 weeks.

"My priorities will be on the big tournaments, Grand Slams and Tier 1s,'' Jankovic said Thursday in a conference call. "When you prepare 100 percent, when you put all the hard work in, then you can really have higher expectations and you can expect yourself to achieve great things.''

Last season, Jankovic won more matches (65) than any other woman on the WTA Tour, claiming titles in Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow in the 22 tournaments she played. But she said injuries bothered her for much of the season, and that's why she has already started working out to prepare for next season.

"I'm really training hard,'' said Jankovic, who started training in November and is currently practicing in Florida. "Before I came here I was in Mexico in high altitude ... trying to get stronger and fitter.''

On Wednesday, Jankovic and top-ranked Rafael Nadal were honored as the International Tennis Federation's world champions of 2008. But for 2009, Jankovic expects to go about her season differently, easing her schedule in order to stay healthy.

"What matters is how fit you are, how well you prepare,'' said Jankovic, who admitted she was only injury-free for a major tournament this year at the U.S. Open, where she lost to Serena Williams in the final. "Last year in December, I didn't have a good preparation before the new season. I only trained two weeks before the Australian Open.

"When you're not ready, when you're not prepared, when you're not fit and playing at a high level ... you're going to have a high risk of getting injured.''

As the top-ranked player, Jankovic is also going to have to deal with others trying to prove themselves by beating her.

"I want the girls to play their best tennis against me and I want to win in those circumstances. I'm up for the challenge,'' Jankovic said. "I want to compete in those best tournaments with the best players out there.''

As for simply being on top of the world of women's tennis, Jankovic is relishing that happenstance, too.

"I love being in that role, being in the role of the No. 1 player in the world. I like that position and I want to stay there as long as it is possible,'' Jankovic said. "I haven't trained in my whole career as hard as I'm training now, and I hope and I believe that all this hard work will pay off.''

Jankovic also hinted that she would continue playing in the Fed Cup for Serbia, which hosts Japan in the first round of World Group II in February.

"I am a huge patriot,'' said Jankovic, who helped Serbia advance from the zonal group in 2008. "I love playing for my country and defending the colors of my flag.''

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Davenport expecting second baby in '09

CLEVELAND (AP) -Lindsay Davenport is pulling out of the Australian Open because she is pregnant with her second child.

The three-time Grand Slam singles champion and former No. 1-ranked woman gave birth to a son, Jagger, in June 2007. Davenport then returned to the tour, although she hasn't played since the U.S. Open in August of this year.

Just last week, the Australian Open announced Davenport would play in the tournament, which begins Jan. 19.

"Of course this unexpected but exciting surprise now means I will be putting tennis on hold for the foreseeable future,'' Davenport said in a statement issued Wednesday by her agent.

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Nadal, Jankovic honored by ITF

LONDON (AP) -Top-ranked Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic were honored Wednesday as the International Tennis Federation's world champions of 2008.

Nadal, who overtook Roger Federer at the top of the men's rankings shortly after beating the Swiss star in the Wimbledon final, is the first Spanish man to receive the honor.

"It has been an incredible year for me and I will never forget all that's happened,'' said Nadal, who also won his fourth straight French Open title in 2008, beating Federer in the final at Roland Garros for the third year in a row. "To finish the year ranked No. 1 was really special.''

The 22-year-old also won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing and helped Spain reach the Davis Cup final, where the European team beat Argentina despite the absence of the injured Nadal.

"It has been a wonderful year for Spanish sport, and I am happy to have been part of it,'' Nadal said.

The only other Spaniard to have won the ITF award is Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario. She claimed the women's honor in 1994.

Jankovic finished the year as the top-ranked women's player despite failing to win a Grand Slam title in 2008 - she lost in the U.S. Open final to Serena Williams. But the 23-year-old Serb still managed to win more matches than any other player on tour, and claimed WTA titles in Rome, Beijing, Stuttgart and Moscow.

"I worked really hard this year and to finish No. 1 is where I want to be and where I want to stay,'' Jankovic said.

The ITF selects its world champions based on a system that includes results from the ATP and WTA tours, along with Grand Slams, Olympics and the Davis Cup and Fed Cup.

"Both (Nadal and Jankovic) are excellent ambassadors for their countries, for whom they have achieved considerable success both as individuals and in the ITF team competitions,'' ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said.

In men's doubles, Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia were named ITF World Champions. Cara Black of Zimbabwe and Liezel Huber of the United States took the award for women's doubles.

The ITF Junior World Champion honors went to French Open boys champion Yang Tsung-hua of Taiwan and Wimbledon girls finalist Noppawan Lertcheewakarn of Thailand. Shingo Kunieda of Japan and Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands took the ITF Wheelchair World Champion honors.

The players will receive their awards at the ITF World Champions Dinner on June 2 in Paris.

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Davenport returns with Aussie Open entry

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -Three-time Grand Slam-winner Lindsay Davenport has signaled a return to the WTA Tour by entering the Australian Open.

Davenport, 32, who won the 2000 Australian Open, has not played a tournament since the U.S. Open in August, fueling speculation she was planning to retire.

"We are really excited that she has entered,'' tournament director Craig Tiley said Thursday. "She is a world class player and a great ambassador for our sport.''

As well as her Australian Open singles title, Davenport won Wimbledon in 1999 and the U.S. Open in 1998. She took part in this year's Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Maria Sharapova in the second round.

Davenport took a break from the WTA Tour for part of the 2006 and 2007 seasons before giving birth to a son, Jagger, in June 2007.

Entries for next year's Open have closed and the top 100 men and women are all on the list for the main draws.

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Serena pulls out of Hopman Cup

PERTH, Australia (AP) -U.S. Open champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from next month's Hopman Cup as she continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Organizers announced Monday that Williams, No. 2 in the rankings, would not recover in time after she was injured at last month's WTA Championships. The Hopman Cup starts Jan. 3 but Williams still intends to play at the Australian Open starting Jan. 19.

Two-time champion James Blake will now be joined by Meghann Shaughnessy on the U.S. team in the mixed-team tournament. Williams and Blake combined to win the 2003 Hopman Cup.

Marat Safin has confirmed he will partner with his sister, Dinara Safina, for the Russian team.

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Serena Williams out of Hopman Cup with injury

PERTH, Australia (AP) -U.S. Open champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from next month's Hopman Cup as she continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Organizers announced Monday that Williams, No. 2 in the rankings, would not recover in time after she was injured at last month's WTA Championships. The Hopman Cup starts Jan. 3 but Williams still intends to play at the Australian Open starting Jan. 19.

Two-time champion James Blake will now be joined by Meghann Shaughnessy on the U.S. team in the mixed-team tournament. Williams and Blake combined to win the 2003 Hopman Cup.

Marat Safin has confirmed he will partner with his sister, Dinara Safina, for the Russian team.

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