Djokovic axes ATP events from plans

Novak Djokovic is aiming to stay fresh for his Australian Open defence by snubbing two ATP tournaments ahead of the Grand Slam event.

The Serbian world number one was victorious in Melbourne 12 months ago with an epic victory against Rafael Nadal and he will be back in 2013 looking to make it three wins in a row. And it appears Djokovic does not want to risk burning himself out before the event gets underway from January 14 as he has opted to snub the opportunity to play in ATP events in Qatar and Sydney along with the majority of his rivals. Djokovic's preparations will include an attempt to retain the Mubadala World Tennis Championship crown in Abu Dhabi, where he will line up alongside Andy Murray, Nadal, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Janko Tipsarevic, between Christmas and New Year. His final warm-up ahead of the season's opening Grand Slam will be at the Hopman Cup in Perth, Western Australia.