PERTH, Jan 2: World number one Pete Sampras withdrew from this month's Australian Open today pleading fatigue after an exhausting end-of-season campaign to retain his top ranking.Tournament director Paul McNamee announced Sampras' decision to take a break from the game after receiving the news from the American's agent Jeff Schwarz that he was too tired to line up for the year's first Grand Slam event.``It's obviously a tough decision for Pete,'' McNamee said during the Hopman Cup team competition. ``It's the first Grand Slam he'll miss in over five years.''The decision means Sampras could lose the coveted world number one ranking after the Australian Open, with Spain's Carlos Moya and Australia's Pat Rafter the leading contenders to take over the crown.Sampras, who won 61 of 78 matches last year, will also miss another chance to equal Australian Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam titles.The American altered his usual schedule to play seven tournaments in seven weeks in Europe at the end of1998 to ensure he finished the year with top ranking for a record sixth consecutive time.The last Grand Slam tournament Sampras missed was the Australian Open in 1992.McNamee said the resulting battle for top spot would add extra spice to the Open.Sampras has won the Australian Open twice, in 1994 and 1997, and won one Grand Slam event last year, at Wimbledon.
