Henman Unseeded in Australia

Tim Henman will be unseeded for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on Monday. Following a poor 2005 for the British No1, he has slipped to 36 in the world rankings, which provide the basis for seedings for the first grand slam event of the year.

Fellow Briton Andy Murray, at 62 on the world list, is also unseeded, while Greg Rusedski is not competing this year as wife Lucy is expecting their first child.

World No1s Roger Federer - Wimbledon champion for the last three years - and Lindsay Davenport have been named as the top seeds. Beaten Wimbledon 2005 finalist Andy Roddick, is the men’s second seed after Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal and Lleyton Hewitt, who lost in last year’s final to another absentee from this year’s tournament Marat Safin, is seeded third on home soil.

Venus Williams, women’s champion at the All-England Championships last summer, is seeded 10. Her sister Serena is 13 after a disrupted 2005 and Belgium’s Kim Clijsters, who pulled out of the Sydney International this week with a hip injury, is the women’s second seed. Maria Sharapova, struggling with a shoulder injury, is seeded fourth and heads a list of nine seeded Russians.