Kim Clijsters pulled out of the Open Gaz de France in Paris on Wednesday because of a bad hip. Clijsters said she wants to be fit to play at the Diamond Games on Feb. 12-18 in Antwerp — her last tournament in Belgium before retiring at the end of the year. “Unfortunately I will have to give the tournament in Paris a bye,” she said Wednesday on her Web site.

Former French Open champion Gaston Gaudio lost to fellow Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday at the Movistar Open round-robin tournament. Second-seeded Gaudio, twice a finalist and the 2005 winner here, remained winless on the ATP tour since the U.S. Open, a string of six defeats. Gaudio had his serve broken five times, the last time for the match.

Fabrice Santoro ousted Guillermo Canas 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 in the opening round of the Zagreb Open on Tuesday, spoiling the Argentine’s return to the ATP circuit following a 15-month doping suspension. Soon after reaching the 2005 French Open quarterfinals, Canas was suspended for two years for using a steroid the previous February.

ESPN and The Tennis Channel will share U.S. cable TV and multimedia rights for the French Open and Australian Open through 2011 under an agreement announced Tuesday. In August, The Tennis Channel bought the U.S. cable TV rights to the French Open previously held by ESPN. With the new deal, The Tennis Channel will air more than 100 hours of the clay-court Grand Slam, while ESPN2 will have 55 hours.

Eighth-seeded Vince Spadea beat Simon Greul 6-2, 7-5 on Monday night in round-robin play in the Delray Beach International. Spadea, who grew up less than a half-hour away in Boca Raton, entertained a sparse crowd that braved mid-50s temperatures. Fourth-seeded Benjamin Becker, the German player who handed Andre Agassi his last career loss in the U.S.

Spain’s Oscar Hernandez beat three-time French Open winner Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) on Monday in round-robin play in the Movistar Open. Kuerten, the former top-ranked player who played only two singles matches last year because of a chronic hip injury, will face Spain’s Alberto Montanez in his second match.

Marcos Baghdatis advanced to the second round of the Zagreb Open after beating Florent Serra of France 6-2, 7-6 (5) Monday. Robin Soderling of Sweden rallied from a set down to beat Gilles Simon of France 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4). Baghdatis, who reached the Australian Open final last year but lost early in Melbourne, struggled in the second set.

Venus Williams will play in the Fed Cup against Belgium. U.S. Fed Cup captain Zina Garrison announced Monday that Williams, who missed the Australian Open with a left wrist injury, has committed to play in the first round on April 21-22 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis Center. “Venus is really looking forward to playing Fed Cup this year,” Garrison said during a teleconference call.

Pete Sampras will play tournament tennis for the first time since 2002, competing on a tour for players over 30, The Associated Press has learned. Sampras’ Outback Champions Series debut, which will come May 2-6 at Boston University’s Agganis Arena, is to be announced formally Tuesday. The 35-year-old Sampras will appear in at least one other event on the tour in 2007.

Maria Sharapova returned to No. 1 in the rankings Monday, and intends to stay there awhile. The Russian overtook Belgium’s Justin Henin-Hardenne in the rankings despite a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Serena Williams in Saturday’s final of the Australian Open. Sharapova is playing this week in the $1.3 million Pan Pacific Open, a tournament she won in 2005.

Andy Roddick likes it. Roger Federer doesn’t. This much is clear: The new challenge system for close line calls is changing tennis for players and spectators alike. And it looks like the technology is here to stay as human errors — and the arguments they spawn — get shunted to the sidelines. “I think we’re all in favor of it,” said Wayne McKewen, the tournament referee for the Australian Open,…

After two weeks of nearly flawless tennis, Fernando Gonzalez let an opportunity slip. Not a wise move when playing Roger Federer in a Grand Slam final. Gonzalez was giving the Swiss star a fair amount of trouble in the first set of Sunday’s final in swirling wind at Rod Laver Arena. “He was missing little bit with his forehand, and he gave me the chance in the first set,” Gonzalez said.

Roger Federer held back the tears this time. He didn’t hold back much else at the Australian Open. Federer underlined his 10th Grand Slam singles title by winning 21 straight sets, saving a set point in Sunday’s final before finishing off Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (2), 6-4, 6-4. The last man to go through a major without dropping a set was Bjorn Borg at the 1980 French Open.

This was not how Maria Sharapova wanted to celebrate her elevation to No. 1 in the rankings: sitting on a plane to Tokyo on Sunday after being on the receiving end of one of the most lopsided results in a Grand Slam final. The Sharapova that looked so dominant while winning last year’s U.S. Open in straight sets over Justine Henin-Hardenne had no answers Saturday against a resurgent Serena Williams…

Roger Federer has beaten Fernando Gonzalez on clay in Monte Carlo, Hamburg and at the French Open; on grass at Wimbledon and carpet in Basel; and four times on hard courts. It adds up to nine for nine as Federer goes into Sunday’s Australian Open final a heavy favorite for his 10th win in a row over Gonzalez.