Injured Gael Monfils pulls out of Sydney International

Gael Monfils faces a race against time to be fit for the Australian Open after a shoulder injury forced him to withdraw from the Sydney International on Monday.

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Monfils said he injured his right shoulder at last week's Brisbane International and was hoping his decision to skip Sydney would enable him to play the Australian Open, starting in Melbourne on January 18.

"I think I have an inflammation... it's getting worse and worse," the world number 12 said.

"If I keep going playing on it, it's gonna turn into something chronic I think, so I need to take some days off."