David Nalbandian injured his back hitting with Marat Safin at Melbourne Park on Wednesday and is a doubtful starter for next week's Australian Open.
Nalbandian, a 26-year-old Argentine whose last two title wins came over No. 1-ranked Roger Federer and No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal at the Masters Series events in Madrid and Paris in October, said he would have medical scans later Wednesday to assess the damage.
He said the pain came gradually in the middle of his back over an hour but became so intense he could not do anything.
Nalbandian said he would try hitting again on Saturday or Sunday before making a decision on whether to play in the Australian Open, the season's first Grand Slam which starts on Monday.
He was the third high-profile player to withdraw from the Kooyong tournament, following Federer and Tommy Haas.
Federer, who uses this event usually to fine tune for the Australian Open, pulled out Monday because of a stomach virus.
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