Tennis: Nalbandian out of Heineken Open

Auckland's Heineken Open tennis has lost its biggest drawcard with the withdrawal of Argentinian ace David Nalbandian.

The former world No 3 suffered a light abdominal strain in warm-ups and has had to pull out of what was going to be his first tournament in eight months.

Nalbandian hadn't played on the ATP tour since May, when he underwent surgery on his right hip.

It is a blow for the tournament, particularly as his match against former Heineken Open champion Philipp Kohlschreiber looked set to be the biggest match of the first round.

"I'm disappointed, but what can you do," tournament director Richard Palmer said.

"It's not the first time this has happened to me in a tournament, and if I keep doing this it will happen again."

An MRI scan at hospital confirmed Nalbandian's injury and it puts his participation in the Australian Open in doubt.

"These usually take 10 to 15 days to come right," Palmer said.

Nalbandian's place in the draw will be taken by Inigo Cervantes-Huegin of Spain.

He was the highest-ranked of the qualifying field who didn't make it into the tournament but he got in after his name was drawn at random from the quartet who lost in the last round of qualifying.

- NZPA