MELBOURNE, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Justine Henin-Hardenne, the No. 1-ranked women's tennis player in the world, will miss the Australian Open due to undisclosed personal reasons.
Henin-Hardenne posted an entry Thursday on her Web site saying she would not play in next week's Sydney International tournament nor in the Australian Open, which runs Jan. 15-28.
"I have to withdraw from the Australian tournament for personal family reasons, Henin-Hardenne wrote. "I want to thank you in advance to respecting my choices and my private life."
Henin-Hardenne, 26, from Belgium, last year became the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1997 to reach the finals of all four tennis Grand Slam events. She won the French Open. She took over the world No. 1 ranking during the last tournament of 2006, the WTA Tour Championships, which she won.
It was also announced Thursday that British player Tim Henman will miss the men's draw of Australian Open because of a knee injury which has bothered him since October. Henman is ranked No. 39 in the world.
