Tennis

France's Gilles Simon pulls out of Australian Open

Published Jan. 16, 2010 2:37 a.m. ET

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Gilles Simon of France has withdrawn from the Australian Open because of a right knee injury.

Simon, seeded 15th, has been off the tour treating a chronic knee injury for almost two months. He last played in November at the Paris Masters.

The 25-year-old Frenchman on Saturday said he had traveled to Melbourne against his doctor's advice and realized during pre-tournament practice he wasn't ready to play at his top level.

``I'm not ready. I figured it's more likely this would end bad than good,'' he said.

Simon's departure leaves No. 10-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 32-seeded Jeremy Chardy as the only remaining seeded Frenchmen playing in the Australian Open, which starts Monday.

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