Stosur Will Skip Fed Cup

Top Australian Samantha Stosur has taken the decision to opt out of a home Fed Cup tie against Ukraine next week. While Lleyton Hewitt last year flew from Rome to Australia to compete against Japan in a Davis Cup tie and then back to Europe to represent his country at the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, 2010 Roland Garros finalist Stosur is mindful of the number of ranking points she needs to defend in the coming weeks and is unwilling to undergo a similar grueling schedule.

"I love representing Australia and it has been difficult to prioritize my immediate schedule,'' said Stosur in a statement. "But it is extremely important to me to focus on the clay-court season and get the best possible preparation for the French Open." She is defending her title this week in Charleston, SC, and is due to play next week in Stuttgart and then Madrid.

Australia will represented by Jarmila Groth, Jelena Dokic, Anastasia Rodionova and Sophie Ferguson, while Ukraine will be without the Bondarenko sisters, Alona and Kateryna.