Davenport won't play Australia Open

Top-ranked Lindsay Davenport will miss the Australian Open because of a right knee injury that might require surgery.

``Lindsay's doctor has determined she has cartilage damage in her right knee,'' Davenport's agent, Tony Godsick of IMG, said Monday from Miami, Fla. ``They're exploring the best ways to solve the problem, which might include surgery. We'll know more in the next 48 hours.''

Davenport withdrew Friday from this week's Adidas International tournament in Sydney, a tuneup for the Australian Open. The year's first Grand Slam tournament starts Jan. 14, in Melbourne.

The 25-year-old Davenport was injured at the season-ending Sanex Championships in Munich, Germany, on Nov. 3. She pulled out of the final there, ending a 15-match winning streak in which she won three straight tournaments.

Davenport was injured while chasing a drop shot from Kim Clijsters in the semifinals at the $3 million Sanex event. Davenport completed that victory, but she couldn't play the final against Serena Williams the next day.

``I can't tell you how bad I feel for everyone involved, but I can't put any weight on'' the leg, Davenport said at the time. ``This is a huge disappointment for me.''

Davenport was No. 1 at the end of last year despite failing to win a Grand Slam tournament. She overtook Jennifer Capriati during the Sanex event.

In the closest finish to a year in more than a decade, Davenport had 4,902 ranking points, beating Capriati by 11 points.

Davenport, who also finished 1998 ranked No. 1, has won three Grand Slam events in her career - the 1998 U.S. Open, 1999 Wimbledon, and the 2000 Australian Open. Capriati won the Australian Open last year.