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Melbourne - An unusually long list of injuries and illnesses could take its toll on the Australian Open, which has already seen withdrawals by Serena Williams and Andy Murray.
AFP Sport gives the rundown of who has been struggling in the lead-up to the first Grand Slam of the year which starts on Monday:
Six-time Melbourne champion has been sidelined since Wimbledon in July with a right elbow injury. Admits it is still not 100 percent, but at a level where he can play. Appeared at the Kooyong exhibition tournament last week.
Rafael Nadal
A knee injury forced the Spanish world number one out of the warm-up Brisbane International, but he said Saturday he "feels good" after intensive practice sessions in Melbourne.
The 2014 champion and his team only made the decision to play the Australian Open on Saturday as he returns from two operations on a knee cartilage injury. Said the knee was holding up well but he was still feeling pain.
Calf and wrist problems kept the tall Canadian out of action since last October. Played the Brisbane International, but was bundled out by a wildcard.
Leg was strapped at the Brisbane event which he said related to fluid on the back of his left knee. It didn't seem to trouble Australia's big hope, who won the tournament.
The American retired from a match at the Hopman Cup with an injured hip, but returned two days later when he lost to Roger Federer.
The Austrian world number five pulled out of the warm-up Qatar Open just hours before his semi-final with flu and a fever. The same issue forced him out of a scheduled match at the Kooyong Classic last week.
The 2008 Australian Open runner-up withdrew from the Qatar Open before it started with a wrist injury.
World number three retired from Brisbane after collapsing with severe leg cramps. Also pulled out of the Sydney International last week with a thigh injury, but said it had responded well to treatment.
The US Open champion withdrew from Brisbane to rest a troublesome knee and was knocked out of Sydney in the first round. Insisted the knee was now "all good".
A semi-finalist in Melbourne two years ago, the Briton's Brisbane campaign ended early when she retired with a right hip injury. Was bundled out of the Sydney International in the first round but said this week "so far, so good" on the injury.
The rising French star retired in tears from Brisbane with a back injury in the opening round, saying she could barely move.
The two-time Wimbledon champion pulled out of Brisbane with a viral illness and was knocked out of Sydney in round two. She missed last year's Australian Open after being attacked with a knife near her Czech home.
The German, ranked 12, withdrew from the Sydney International just hours after beating Caroline Wozniacki to win the warm-up Auckland Classic, citing a right knee injury.
The Canadian lost all three matches at the Hopman Cup and was eliminated in the first round at Hobart, but said a buttock injury suffered in Perth was now fine.
