MELBOURNE, Australia(AP) Nicolas Kiefer withdrew from the Australian Open on Saturday because of an injury to his left ankle while playing for Germany at the Hopman Cup.
Kiefer, a semifinalist at the 2006 Australian Open and now ranked No. 37, was to have played Argentina's Guillermo Canas in the first round. He was replaced in the draw by another German, qualifier Dieter Kindlmann.
American qualifier Wayne Odesnik will replace Italy's Filippo Volandri, who was banned for three months by the International Tennis Federation for abusing an asthma drug.
The Italian tennis federation announced the ITF's decision Friday, saying Volandri's use of salbutamol was deemed beyond therapeutic needs. The ban began Thursday and will expire April 14.
Volandri failed a drug test last March at a tournament in Indian Wells, Calif. Volandri, ranked 109th, had been drawn to face Mario Ancic of Croatia in the Australian Open, which starts Monday. Ancic will now face Odesnik.