The three-time major winner would be given a protected ranking of number two, the Australian Open organisers said
India players were sloppy on the field, giving away too many extra runs and also dropping some catches.
Australia's second-most populous state of Victoria reported no local coronavirus cases on Saturday for the second straight day, boding well for the Australian Open tennis tournament due to start in Melbourne on Monday.
Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have clinched a spot in the prestigious season-ending ATP Finals, marking the Indian's fourth appearance in the tournament.
Along with the Australian Open, Murray will also miss the ATP Cup to be played in Australia on January 3.
Roger Federer is practising pain-free after undergoing two knee surgeries this year and says he expects to return to the circuit at the Australian Open in January.
Rohan Bopanna and his Croatian partner Ivan Dodig suffered a shock loss to the pair of Francisco Cerundolo and Nicolas Jarry in the first round match of the China Open.
Former world number one Novak Djokovic's preparation for next month's Australian Open suffered a blow after he pulled out of the season-opening exhibition event in Abu Dhabi on Friday due to pain in his right elbow.
Aryna Sabalenka's return to top spot in the WTA rankings after leapfrogging Iga Swiatek has set up a thrilling end to the season, with next month's WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia likely to prove decisive in the race to end the year as world number one.
Rohan Bopanna and his partner Australia's Matthew Ebden were beaten by Argentine combo of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni.
Players in the men's draw at the Australian Open will be allowed 10-minute breaks during matches as part of an updated extreme heat policy at the year's first Grand Slam.
Nadal said his back was still bothering him against world number 56 Djere
The 34-year-old practised for an hour on Thursday evening at the Rod Laver Arena and his fitness was improving "little by little, step by step", sources close to Nadal told Reuters.
It has been 24 days since Victoria reported a locally acquired COVID-19 infection, while Australia as a whole posted a 13th straight day without a community case on Saturday.
'We're absolutely confident the Australian Open will go ahead'
Nathan McSweeney had a disappointing start to his international career after being ousted by Bumrah for 10 and zero in the first Test at Perth.
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said his government will not apply for travel permits to allow unvaccinated tennis players to compete at the Australian Open in the state after Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated they would be allowed into the country.
Novak Djokovic is still uncertain whether he will take part in the 2022 Australian Open but will soon make a decision, the World No 1 said after Serbia's 2-1 defeat by Croatia in the Davis Cup semi-finals on Friday.
Next year's Australian Open could be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic and even if the first Grand Slam of 2021 goes ahead fans from abroad will not be able to attend, Tennis Australia chief Craig Tiley said on Wednesday. The tennis season was halted in early March due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 3.68 million people around the world while killing over 256,000 so far.
Daniil Medvedev said he was enjoying his growing rivalry with world number one Jannik Sinner despite coming out on the wrong end of the scoreline
Prajnesh Gunneswaran announces retirement from professional tennis
Nishikori is the latest high-profile men's player to pull out of the season's first Grand Slam following the withdrawal of Briton Andy Murray on Saturday.
Smoke-induced interruptions likely at season's first grand slam.
Sabalenka spent eight weeks at the summit last year before Swiatek overtook her with a victory at the season-ending WTA Finals and the Belarusian hopes for a longer stay as 'N1'.
'We feel slightly behind the game now but there certainly won't be any letting up and certainly won't be any surrendering.'
Novak Djokovic's bid to add a 100th singles title to his trophy cabinet on Sunday was dashed after he was beaten 7-6(4), 6-3 by world number one Jannik Sinner in the Shanghai Masters final on Sunday.
Gauff split from coach Brad Gilbert and flipped the script weeks later, however, winning her second WTA 1000 title last month at the China Open before reaching the Wuhan Open semis.
Sabalenka, who was set to face American Emina Bektas, was replaced in the draw by Russian Erika Andreeva, while fellow Belarusian Azarenka's spot was taken up by another lucky loser in Frenchwoman Elsa Jacquemot.
Novak Djokovic blamed "human error" on Wednesday for a mistake in his Australian immigration paperwork and apologised for breaking isolation for a photoshoot when he had COVID-19 last month.
Roger Federer will miss the Australian Open in January and is unlikely to return to competition until mid-2022 as he recovers from multiple knee surgeries, the former world number one told Swiss media.
If Nagal, a wild card entrant and world number 139, can cross the first hurdle, he will run into either 19th seed Russian Karen Khachanov or local wild card Aleksandar Vukic.
WADA has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against an independent tribunal's decision in August to clear world number one Jannik Sinner of wrongdoing after he failed drug tests
Naomi Osaka has four major titles under her belt but the second round at Flushing Meadows, Wimbledon and Roland Garros was as good as it got this year for the Japanese 26-year-old, who exited the Australian Open in the first round.
India's Somdev Devvarman and Taiwan's Chang Kai-chen have landed wildcards for this month's Australian Open, the organisers said on Thursday.
It was the first Grand Slam triumph for Polasek, 35, who came out of retirement in 2018
Naomi Osaka gave Jennifer Brady a lesson in Grand Slam tennis as she cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 win to claim her second Australian Open title on Saturday and cement her standing as the new queen of the women's game.
Images from the US Open women's singles final between Belarus's Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula of the United States, at Flushing Meadows, New York, on Saturday.
Zheng's win improved her record at the Pan Pacific Open to 8-1, with the 22-year-old having lost in the 2022 final to Liudmila Samsonova in her only previous appearance in the tournament.
It was an emotional win for Aryna Sabalenka, who missed Wimbledon last month due to a shoulder injury.
So it is over. Two weeks of intriguing tennis where the world's best competed for the year's first Grand Slam. While the match-fixing report cast a shadow over the start of the Australian Open, the tournament gained momentum as it progressed. Rediff.com encapsulates the best moments from the Rod Laver Arena.
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