Murray tops Brisbane field

ANDY Murray is to make his debut in the Brisbane International next month, heading a playing list announced yesterday featuring four of the top 20-ranked men and nine of the top 20 women players in the world.

Murray is joined by Gilles Simon, James Blake and Marcos Baghdatis, as well as home favourite Bernard Tomic. And, if he has fully recovered from the groin injury that cut short his involvement in last week’s ATP World Tour finals in London, the Scot will be the man the field have to beat in the Australian Open warm-up event.

Meanwhile, a Danish newspaper has reported that top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark has hired Spanish tennis coach Ricardo Sanchez.

According to tabloid Ekstra Bladet, Wozniacki says Sanchez is replacing her father Piotr Wozniacki who “wanted to get a little bit of time off the court”.

Sanchez says his first goal is to have Wozniacki win next month’s Australian Open. Wozniacki has never won a Grand Slam tournament. The 21-year-old Dane added it was her father’s suggestion to hire Sanchez.