In Brief

TENNIS

Injury forces Serena Williams
to pull out of Australian Open

Two-time defending champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open because of a foot injury.

Tournament director Craig Tiley released a statement Thursday saying Williams had pulled out of the Hopman Cup international mixed teams competition in Perth and the Melbourne-based Australian Open in January.

It is the second consecutive Grand Slam tournament Williams will miss, and the loss of 2,000 rankings points could cost the 29-year-old star her place in the top 10.

Williams has played only one exhibition match since winning Wimbledon in July. She had surgery after cutting her foot on broken glass at a restaurant following her win at the All England Club. She returned to practice in September but twice put off her comeback, missing the U.S. Open, the season-ending WTA tournament, the Fed Cup and a handful of tour events.

She said she had additional surgery last month and couldn't risk returning before the injury had properly healed.

"As I recently learned, pushing myself back into my intense training too early only caused me further injury and damage," the five-time Australian Open winner said. "While I desperately want to be back on the court and competing in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, it is imperative for my health that I continue to work with my doctors to ensure my foot heals properly.

"This decision, though heavy on my heart, is the right one. I am praying for a healthy recovery and I promise my Aussie fans and my fans around the world that I will be back better than ever as soon as I can be."

Also: Roger Federer and Andy Murray easily secured spots in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals in London with straight-sets victories in their last round-robin matches.

Federer continued his dominance over Robin Soderling, beating the Swede 7-6 (5) 6-3 to earn the top spot in Group B of the season-ending tournament. Murray recovered from a shaky start to beat David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, the Spaniard's third straight loss in the group phase.

Their semifinal opponents will be decided today, when the last round-robin matches in Group A are played. That group features Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Andy Roddick, with all four still in contention for the semifinals.

Federer won his third straight group match and improved his career record against Soderling to 15-1, with his only loss to the Swede coming in this year's French Open quarterfinals.

Federer's victory meant Murray had to win only a set to clinch second place in the group. He took care of that in 31 minutes, recovering from going down 2-0 in the first set by playing nearly perfect tennis in winning the next seven games to take control of the match.

CYCLING

Teary Contador calls doping
charges 'absolutely ridiculous'

Alberto Contador reiterated his innocence over his failed doping test at the Tour de France and slammed the Astana team for abandoning him once the news broke.

The 27-year-old Spanish cyclist is facing a two-year ban and risks losing his third Tour title after testing positive for the banned drug clenbuterol, which he claims came from contaminated meat.

Contador labeled the charges as "absolutely ridiculous" and feels the entire episode has discredited him.

"I don't doubt (my innocence) for one second because I did not do anything irregular at any time," Contador said in an interview broadcast by national broadcaster TVE. "Never."

He looked to be fighting back tears when asked if he would follow up his threat to quit the sport if punished.

"It's early to say that but," said Contador, stopping to reflect on his words with his voice cracking. "I can't say for sure ... that I'll continue."

Contador took a swipe at his Kahzakstan-based team for failing to provide any support after he announced in September that he had failed a July 21 drug test. Contador had signed a two-year deal to ride with Danish outfit Saxo Bank beginning in 2011 by that point.

MISCELLANEOUS

Grizzlies' Haddadi, girlfriend
charged in domestic assault

Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis Grizzlies and his girlfriend were charged with assault after an altercation between them.

Memphis, Tenn., police were called to a downtown apartment building and found Haddadi, a backup center from Iran, and his girlfriend with bruises and scratches.

The arrest report said a verbal disagreement turned physical, and both Haddadi and Goolnaz "Asal" Karbalaeinematmoeeney were taken to the Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said in a statement that the team was aware of the incident and withheld comment while they gathered facts.

Also: Golden State Warriors forward David Lee has been medically cleared to resume light conditioning a week after undergoing a second procedure on his left elbow to treat an infection.

Lee has had stitches and a catheter for IVs removed from his right arm, the team said.

Lee initially had surgery Nov. 12 after he cut the inside of his elbow two days earlier in a nasty collision with the mouth of New York's Wilson Chandler, who left a fragment of a tooth in Lee's arm. After Lee's elbow swelled and bled, he went to an emergency room for antibiotics.

A member of the New Mexico football team was arrested after a brawl at a nightclub in downtown Albuquerque, officials with the athletics department confirmed.

The university did not immediately release the player's name, but jail records showed 22-year-old Julion Conley was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center on charges of battery, aggravated battery and public affray.

Conley, a junior from Houston, is a walk-on linebacker who joined the team in 2007.

The Vancouver Canucks granted forward Rick Rypien an indefinite leave of absence.

It's the second time in three years the 26-year-old has left the team to deal with undisclosed personal matters. Earlier in the season, Rypien got a six-game suspension from the NHL after grabbing a fan on his way to the dressing room in Minnesota.

Rypien has been a healthy scratch the last three games. He has one assist and 31 penalty minutes in nine games this season.

Sweden's Robert Karlsson shot a 7-under 65 for a one-shot lead over 19-year-old South Korean Noh Seung-yul after the first round at the Dubai World Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

European money leader Martin Kaymer of Germany was another shot back at 5 under in the European Tour's $7.5 million, season-ending tournament.

The 25-year-old Kaymer's only challenger for the Order of Merit title is Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, who struggled for much of the day on his way to an even-par 72.

Cost of Freedom defeated Gato Go Win by a length to win the $100,000 Vernon O. Underwood Stakes at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.

Ridden by Joe Talamo, Cost of Freedom covered six furlongs in 1:08.46 and paid $4, $3 and $2.40.