Sonny Bill Williams has told BBC Radio 5 Live that he felt it was his duty to “step up” as a high-profile Muslim, after the Christchurch mosques attack.

A gunman killed 51 people at a mosque and Islamic centre during Friday prayers in March.

The New Zealand rugby star, who converted to Islam in 2009, told Tony Livesey that he wanted to “preach positivity” following the shootings.

“I stepped up. I represented not just the Muslim community that was hurting but also the New Zealand community,” he said.

THOMASVILLE, N.C. – Rick Ware Racing has announced plans to field three full-time teams in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series next year.

The organization has fielded two full-time teams this year, with a third team joining the program midway through the year. The team also fielded four cars in two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events this year.

J.J. Yeley, who has made 14 starts for the team this year, will drive one of Ware’s cars for the full schedule next season.

“I am excited to have J.J. Yeley on board with the Rick Ware Racing organization for the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season,” said team owner Rick Ware. “J.J. is a great asset to any team, and has a proven track record for bringing home solid finishes for RWR. I look forward to having him on board, as we continue to grow this team.”

Yeley is a veteran of 290 NASCAR Cup Series starts. He’s earned two top-five and eight top-10 finishes during his career.

“I can’t thank Rick and Lisa Ware enough for the opportunity to be back behind the wheel of a NASCAR Cup Series car full-time next year,” Yeley said. “They are a family owned team, who continues to grow and build new relationships with sponsors, and expand their efforts in NASCAR. Over the past couple weeks, we’ve accumulated some pretty solid finishes and can’t wait to see what we can accomplish in 2020.”

The team plans to announce its remaining driver lineup for 2020 in the near future. Fourteen drivers, including Yeley, have competed in cars fielded by Rick Ware Racing this season.

LAS VEGAS – Best In The Desert will be feature a special Triple Crown within its 2020 off-road racing schedule.

With guaranteed cash payout bonuses for overall finishers, the projected total payout for the upcoming season is well more than $600,000. Unlimited Car/Truck classes will receive bonus payouts of $25,000 for first place overall, $10,000 for second place overall and $5,000 for third place overall in each of the Triple Crown events.

Limited Car/Truck, UTV and Motorcycles/Quad classes will also be eligible for increased bonus prize money payouts. For Cars/Trucks, the Triple Crown will consist of Best In The Desert’s Parker 425, Vegas to Reno and BlueWater Desert Challenge events. For UTVs, Motorcycles/Quads the Triple Crown will consist of the Parker 250, Vegas to Reno and BlueWater Desert Challenge events.

In total more than $260,000 in additional guaranteed payouts on top of Best in the Desert’s normal payout will be offered in 2020 at these events.

In addition to increased payouts for all Triple Crown events, Best In The Desert will be paying more than $65,000 in yearend Triple Crown bonuses. Pro Motorcycles/Quads receive a $5,000 bonus, Pro UTVs receive $11,000, Limited Pro Cars/Trucks receive $11,000 and Unlimited Pro Cars/Trucks receive a $40,000 bonus. These bonus payouts elevate the guaranteed purse for the Parker 425 and BlueWater Desert Challenge to more than $100,000 for each event, with Vegas to Reno reaching a guaranteed purse of more than $125,000.

“We’re very excited to make this announcement,” said Best In The Desert CMO Bryan Folks. “Off-Road racing is the greatest form of racing on earth. Our racers invest a lot in this sport and we wanted to find ways to reward them as much as possible.  This new bonus structure gives our racers some additional incentives and titles to shoot for, plus ways to earn purse money outside our individual events and the normal year-long series championships. The addition of the Triple Crown is sure to create additional excitement and attention for our racers and fans.”

Brothers Terry and Bobby Labonte are no longer competing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series but maintain a strong presence within stock car racing circles.

They are the only brothers in NASCAR’s 70-year history to win Cup Series titles. Terry Labonte won the championship in 1984 and ’96, while Bobby Labonte claimed the title in 2000.

Younger brother Bobby Labonte’s life has always revolved around motorsports. He grew up watching Terry Labonte compete on Texas short tracks and felt a strong desire to start his own racing career. He began driving quarter midgets at an early age, winning his first national quarter midget race at age 6 in 1970.

“At 5 years old, I was racing something until I was 9 all the way to Denver, Colo., California, Huntsville, Ala., and Tulsa, Okla., from Corpus Christi, Texas,” Bobby Labonte said. “That was what my dad (Bob Labonte) wanted to do. When you’re racing that young, it might not always turn out the way you want it to. We all put so much dedication into it. I didn’t know there was anything else, to be honest with you.

“Also, our parents were all about racing,” Labonte noted. “They never asked us if we wanted to play golf or get into something else. It was always about racing.”

While other drivers were seeking rides from team owners, the Labonte family fielded their own race cars on short tracks throughout Texas. They moved to North Carolina in the late 1970s where Bobby Labonte raced while working as a fabricator and mechanic on his brother’s Cup Series Chevrolets owned by fellow Texan Billy Hagan.

“For me, the route I took was building and working on my own cars,” Labonte said. “I thought that was the best plan for me. By doing that, you can control your own destiny a little bit more. As time went on to try and get to the pinnacle, your first shot might not be the right one or the one that takes you there.

“All of them (racing efforts) are building blocks to that point. It’s not always going to happen the way you expect it to. You have to build yourself up to the top rides at that point and time as well. It’s not easy, but everybody has a little different plan. Sometimes you have to take particular rides to get to that next level.”

By 1980, Bobby Labonte had won late model championships at Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., and Concord (N.C.) Speedway. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 1982 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and made 16 starts throughout the 1980s in family-owned Buicks.

In 1990, he formed his own team and competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, collecting six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes.

The following year, he won his first Xfinity Series race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April and won again at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August en route to the series championship.

That prompted a call from NASCAR Cup Series team owner Bill Davis with a full-time ride for 1993. Two years later, Labonte began his first of 11 seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing and won his first Cup Series race in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“When you win your first one, that’s pretty special,” Labonte said. “We had finished second three or four times behind Jeff Gordon. That night, Ken Schrader was out front and had a problem and we ended up winning the race.

“We were so fast,” Labonte recalled. “I remember I was talking so much on the radio that Jimmy Makar (crew chief) told me to shut up because I was talking so much. I was saying things like, ‘This guy is going to crash,’ and ‘This guy is going to wreck.’ I had not ever done that before but the car was so good. I just had a feeling that night that we were going to win.”

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SUN CITY, South Africa – Louis Oosthuizen overcame an uncomfortable bout of kidney stones to shoot a bogey-free 63 and take a three-shot lead after the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa on Thursday.

Oosthuizen nearly withdrew and said he was up since 3 a.m. local time on the morning of the first round in some discomfort.

He didn't show it on the course apart from having to walk a little slower round Gary Player Country Club.

The South African carded four birdies on the opening nine and five on the closing stretch to go 9 under and take a big lead at a tournament he's never won.

Thomas Detry is second on 6 under, Guido Migliozzi third on 5 under, and defending champion Lee Westwood and Ernie Els part of a tie for fourth another shot back.

Memphis has declared James Wiseman ineligible and will withhold him from games after the freshman basketball star withdrew his lawsuit against the NCAA on Thursday.

Memphis also announced it would apply for his reinstatement by the NCAA.

"In order to move the matter forward, the University has declared James ineligible and will immediately apply for his reinstatement," the university's statement said. "Pending that notification, James will be withheld from competition but will continue to practice with the team.

"The NCAA is fully aware of the unique nature and challenges in this particular case, and the University is confident that the NCAA will render a fair and equitable decision consistent with its mission."

Wiseman's lawyers from Ballin, Ballin & Fishman and Farese, Farese & Farese released a statement on Thursday morning, shortly before Memphis declared him ineligible.

"It has become clear to Mr. Wiseman that the lawsuit he filed last week has become an impediment to the University of Memphis in it's [sic] efforts to reach a fair and equitable resolution with the NCAA concerning his eligibility status. Therefore, Mr. Wiseman advised his legal team that he wished to withdraw his lawsuit. There will be no further comment at this time," the statement said.

Memphis said last week the NCAA had initially declared Wiseman eligible in May, but further investigation found documentation of Memphis coach Anfernee Hardaway's payment to Wiseman's family in 2017. The school said Wiseman had no knowledge of the payment.

The school acknowledged last week that Hardaway, before he became the Tigers' head coach, provided $11,500 in moving expenses for Wiseman and his family to move from Nashville to Memphis in the summer of 2017. At the time, Hardaway was Wiseman's AAU coach and would then coach him at Memphis East High School. Hardaway, a Memphis alum, was considered a booster due to a $1 million donation he gave the school in 2008 to build a sports Hall of Fame.

Wiseman was ruled ineligible last Friday before a Shelby County judge issued a restraining order allowing Wiseman to play in Friday night's game. The NCAA issued a statement saying, "The University of Memphis was notified that James Wiseman is likely ineligible. The university chose to play him and ultimately is responsible for ensuring its student-athletes are eligible to play."

Wiseman played in the Tigers' first three games, averaging 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.

Wiseman, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2019 class and the projected No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, moved to Memphis from Nashville in the summer of 2017 after spending his first two years of high school at The Ensworth School. Wiseman joined the Team Penny grassroots program on the Nike EYBL circuit that spring, and then enrolled at East High School, where Hardaway was the coach.

Wiseman ultimately committed to Memphis over Kentucky in November 2018, headlining the Tigers' No. 1-ranked recruiting class.

With free agency underway, the offseason is going to pick up steam. What are the big questions facing all 30 teams?

We now turn to the NL West, where the Dodgers have a streak of consecutive titles going while the rest of the division ponders how to catch them.

Team-by-team offseason previews: NL East | NL Central | AL East

Los Angeles Dodgers: Will they deviate?

2019 record: 106-56
2020 World Series odds: 5-1

The Dodgers have built a sustainable powerhouse largely through discipline. They excel in player development, focus on versatility, navigate toward youth and steer clear of the mega-contract. It's an approach that has helped them win a major league-best 485 regular-season games since 2015 and has kept them on a path for continued dominance. The Dodgers could do nothing this offseason -- literally nothing -- and still field a roster capable of winning 90-plus games and capturing an eighth consecutive division title in 2020.

But, alas, that is not the ultimate goal.

The Dodgers are still in search of their first championship since 1988. They followed back-to-back World Series losses with a 106-win season in 2019, then suffered a gut-wrenching first-round elimination at the hands of the Washington Nationals. Now the Dodgers must ask themselves: Is their October misfortune the result of postseason randomness or do they need to construct their roster differently? Their depth is unparalleled, but do they need more high-end talent?

It would be overly simplistic to say they should just go after Gerrit Cole or Anthony Rendon. Cole fills their need for another top-of-the-rotation starter, but Andrew Friedman's Dodgers don't hand out nine-figure contracts to players nearing 30. Rendon is said to be interested in a short-term deal with a higher average annual value, which would be more appealing to Friedman. But the more likely route is the trade market. The Dodgers have the organizational depth to acquire virtually any player they choose, and they have shown a knack for creativity.

There's no telling what they'll do, but it seems as if a major shakeup could take place. -- Alden Gonzalez

Arizona Diamondbacks: Are they ready to make a play for the crown?

2019 record: 85-77
2020 World Series odds: 60-1

Finishing above .500 again and earning a (distant) second-place finish in the division was a nice accomplishment for GM Mike Hazen in a season when he traded away both Paul Goldschmidt (before) and Zack Greinke (during). Three years in from inheriting an expensive mess, Arizona has never had a losing season on Hazen's watch, and has the makings of a serious contender.

Whether or not Ketel Marte is the star the Diamondbacks can build around, his club-friendly extension through 2022 (with options for 2023 and 2024) makes it both an affordable proposition and something that gives them some freedom to hunt big game if they want to invest in a bid to win. Even after the Greinke trade, they've assembled a rotation they could win with, although 30-plus starts from Luke Weaver and a big season from Robbie Ray in his walk year, would put an exclamation point on the idea.

As a result, even with a stack of arbitration cases to deal with, Hazen could make some noise this winter. Whether that's aiming to get a bat from the top end of the market or settling for a veteran addition or two like last winter's signing of Adam Jones will tell us everything about how the D-backs see themselves. -- Christina Kahrl

San Francisco Giants: Will this be an all-out rebuild?

2019 record: 77-85
2020 World Series odds: 200-1

The Giants began July with 16 wins in their first 19 games, cutting their wild-card deficit to two games with the trade deadline only eight days away. It was perhaps the worst thing that could have happened to Farhan Zaidi, at that point only eight months into his role as president of baseball operations. The Giants were a fading team, their hot stretch notwithstanding, but Zaidi was new to a demanding market, with a Hall of Fame manager still in place. He couldn't justify stripping the roster to shed salary and load up on prospects; instead, he kept most of the core group intact.

Zaidi now has a full year under his belt. He has his hand-picked manager, Gabe Kapler, and an entire season of proof that the Giants need, at the very least, a major retooling. Zaidi has shied away from the term "rebuild" when talking about his approach with this team, but his actions will tell the story. Will he let longtime ace Madison Bumgarner walk or try to re-sign him for a rotation with a clear need? Will he look to trade veterans such as Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Brandon Crawford and Brandon Belt, or try to put pieces around them?

The Giants have an aging roster, a top-heavy payroll and a clear need to build for the future. But this is a franchise that claimed three World Series championships in the 2010s, coming off a season that featured the lowest attendance in Oracle Park's 20-year history. Zaidi has a tough balance to strike. -- Gonzalez

Colorado Rockies: How to fix the pitching staff?

2019 record: 71-91
2020 World Series odds: 100-1

For a team that won a wild card in 2017 and 2018 (losing the NL West to the Dodgers in a tiebreaker game), the Rockies enter the offseason with some big issues. The offense had just three regulars (plus the oft-injured David Dahl) post an OPS+ above league average. They finished fourth in the NL in runs but 13th in the NL in weighted runs created. The pitching may have been worse, even by Coors Field standards, as the Rockies allowed the most runs and ranked 12th in the NL in ERA+ and 14th in FanGraphs WAR.

The problem for GM Jeff Bridich: The Rockies are already almost right at their 2019 payroll level before any winter additions. Unless ownership spends more money -- the Rockies are about $38 million below the tax threshold -- the 2020 Rockies might look a lot like the 2019 Rockies. That means counting on Kyle Freeland to bounce back, the expensive but bad bullpen (Wade Davis, Jake McGee and Bryan Shaw will make a combined $35.5 million) to pitch better, and somebody -- Peter Lambert? Jeff Hoffman? Chi Chi Gonzalez? -- to step up behind German Marquez, Jon Gray and Freeland in the rotation. Getting a proven starter to come to Colorado is almost impossible, and they've probably been scarred from those bullpen signings. So how about an outfielder who can hit better than Ian Desmond or Raimel Tapia? -- David Schoenfield

San Diego Padres: Can they become an instant contender?

2019 record: 70-92
2020 World Series odds: 50-1

The Padres stretched their budget to sign Eric Hosmer in February 2018, then really stretched it to sign Manny Machado 12 months later. Their top-ranked farm system has provided legitimate promise for the future, but the Padres don't appear to be patient. They spent nearly $450 million on two free agents in back-to-back offseasons, then placed Chris Paddack and Fernando Tatis Jr. on their 2019 opening day roster, eschewing the appeal of gaining an extra year of service time with two budding stars. Those are the moves made by a team that wants to win, like, now.

To do that, A.J. Preller, now in his sixth offseason as the Padres' general manager, has a lot of work ahead of him. He needs to acquire a proven, top-of-the-rotation starter to anchor an exceedingly young staff that will be headlined by Paddack and could eventually include rookies MacKenzie Gore and Luis Patino. And he needs to rebuild an outfield that managed only a .740 OPS this past season. The free-agent market could yield an ace. (Did you know Stephen Strasburg is from San Diego?) But first, Preller might need to unload at least some of the $61 million remaining on Wil Myers' contract -- and then find a better replacement.

Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler, who hasn't been shy about his desire to win next season, recently talked to the San Diego Union-Tribune about how the organization has moved past the prospect evaluation stage and is now looking at its younger players as "currency." In other words, the Padres could once again be a fascinating, active team on the trade market. -- Gonzalez

With free agency underway, the offseason is going to pick up steam. What are the big questions facing all 30 teams?

Here's a look at the AL East, which features two teams that won 96 or more games in 2019, two clubs that posted 95 or more losses this year ... and, right in the middle, the 2018 World Series champs.

Team-by-team offseason previews: NL East | NL Central | NL West

New York Yankees: Will the Yankees land Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg?

2019 record: 103-59
2020 World Series odds: 5-1

The Yankees' biggest offseason storyline will be how general manager Brian Cashman will improve his starting rotation, which on the first day of the GM meetings he stated would be a team priority. The marquee names on the free-agent market, Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, are potential targets, but certainly not the only ones.

"Obviously, starting pitching is always something that we want to try to continue to look at and shore up," Cashman said. "There are some exciting opportunities that exist in the marketplace via trade as well as free agency. Of course, we're going to talk to Strasburg; we'll talk to Cole. We'll talk to the higher-end guys, clearly, and have conversations, and we'll also talk about some surprise guys, I'm sure."

The Yankees also will have to address how many of their own free agents they want to keep, and most importantly, how much they want to spend doing so. Cashman has specified that there is no ownership mandate on a maximum payroll, but it's doubtful a team with more than $210 million in salary commitments for 2020 would be able to work out deals with a Cole or a Strasburg, and also bring back Brett Gardner, Didi Gregorius and/or Dellin Betances.

Beyond that, the 2019 Yankees overcame a barrage of injuries to win 103 games and their first AL East title since 2012. But the "Next Man Up" mentality and performance that went along with it is unlikely to be duplicated. The Yankees will likely have to address their injury prevention and treatment protocols in order to avoid setting yet another MLB record for most injured players in a single season. -- Marly Rivera

Tampa Bay Rays: Can the Rays stay creative to keep thriving in the East?

2019 record: 96-66
2020 World Series odds: 30-1

The Rays have never been short of good, outside-the-box ideas. After another successful season of bullpenning, Tampa Bay has enough strong starters on its roster, among Charlie Morton, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough, to field a full rotation -- if the Rays want to. In 2019, they found a lot of success from their bullpen, between Emilio Pagan's lockdown year and strong performances from Nick Anderson and Oliver Drake, and they'll likely keep looking for more diamonds in the rough, given relievers are a notoriously fickle group when it comes to year-to-year consistency (looking at you, Jose Alvarado). Two-way top prospect Brendan McKay could become an interesting factor for Tampa Bay as well, after making his debut both on the mound and at the plate.

General manager Erik Neander hopes to prioritize adding offense to a lineup that finished the season with 769 runs, seventh in the American League. Catcher Travis d'Arnaud hits the open market following his best season, hitting .263/.323/.459 in 92 games. While they weigh bringing back d'Arnaud, the Rays, who had the lowest payroll in the majors in 2019, will look to upgrade at designated hitter, with veteran names such as Edwin Encarnacion and Howie Kendrick being tossed around as solutions. Foundational players such as Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Snell remain under team control, with Tampa Bay facing $73.8 million in 2020 salary commitments heading into the offseason. Neander will explore every possible option to make marginal improvements to an already strong team facing financial restrictions. -- Joon Lee

Boston Red Sox: How will a new front office balance Mookie Betts and the budget?

2019 record: 84-78
2020 World Series odds: 10-1

Boston enters the offseason with a new chief baseball officer in Chaim Bloom and an offseason already filled to the brim with rumors about what the team will do with superstar Mookie Betts as he enters his contract year -- but the questions don't stop there. Bloom faces the challenge of getting the team's payroll under the luxury tax threshold -- balancing big-time salaries, from Betts to designated hitter J.D. Martinez to starters Chris Sale, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi -- while a World Series-worthy roster remains the goal.

Bloom's decisions over the next few months will not only shape Boston's direction for next year, but for the foreseeable future. If Boston hopes to keep both Betts and Martinez for 2020, the organization will likely need to trade some of its bigger contract commitments, requiring the creativity that made Bloom a rising front-office star with the Rays. -- Lee

Toronto Blue Jays: Can they build a winning team around the kids?

2019 record: 67-95
2020 World Series odds: 75-1

In 2019, the Toronto Blue Jays let the kids play. In 2020, will they be able to find anyone who can pitch? That is the overriding question this offseason for the position-rich Jays, who saw not only Vladimir Guerrero Jr. make his much-hyped MLB debut last season, but also Cavan Biggio and Bo Bichette step into the limelight.

That impressive collection of controllable talent could go to waste in the coming years without a vastly improved pitching staff.

Despite team president and CEO Mark Shapiro telling reporters the team will need to "be aggressive on every level of the free-agent starting pitcher landscape," the Blue Jays are unlikely to open the wallet for big-ticket items, but should be involved in acquiring second-tier veteran options like Gio Gonzalez, Julio Teheran or Michael Pineda. A middle-of-the-road farm system will make it difficult to trade for a top-tier arm.

Nonetheless, in a top-heavy division such as the AL East, a 95-loss team faces a Herculean task in breaking through by limiting itself to smaller-scale moves, particularly given the fact that Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins have uncertain futures beyond the 2020 season. -- Rivera

Baltimore Orioles: How long will they be at this level of awful?

2019 record: 54-108
2020 World Series odds: 1,000-1

"Improving" from 115 losses in 2018 to 108 last year shouldn't be mistaken for the start of a turnaround, because as bad as the Orioles have been, GM Mike Elias' total rebuild doesn't really have an upward trajectory yet. While the farm system gets restocked, the team will still be scrounging for talent to field a quasi-competitive club in 2020.

That's because the current group doesn't have much room for growth. You'd be hard-pressed to name a current Oriole who might be a major contributor to the next good ballclub in Baltimore -- unlike, say, the Astros, who at least had Jose Altuve during their bad patch of three consecutive 100-loss seasons.

Although Trey Mancini had an excellent year, it was his age-27 season, and he's under club control for just three more years. Will the O's be ready by then? Or will they have traded him? Middle infielder Jonathan Villar might be Elias' best bargaining chip, but he's just one year from free agency. Even their top rookie of 2019, lefty John Means, is just a couple of months younger than nominal top starter Dylan Bundy. -- Christina Kahrl

Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Tim Henman captaining Great Britain in the inaugural ATP Cup is "really positive for British tennis", says Andy Murray.

Murray has used his protected injury ranking to ensure Britain can play in the 24-nation event in Australia.

As the nation's leading player the Scot can choose the team captain, and his mentor Henman has been asked to do it.

"He's got a lot of experience, he's a fun guy to be around and he played lots of Davis Cups," Murray said.

Henman, 45, has been friends with Murray since the three-time Grand Slam champion was a teenager and has been chosen ahead of Davis Cup captain Leon Smith to lead Britain in the ATP tournament, to be held in January.

Britain have been drawn in Group C alongside Bulgaria, Belgium and Moldova after Murray made a late decision to use his protected ranking of second in the world for Britain to compete.

Murray, 32, says picking Henman was a collective decision of the British team, who discussed their options in group phone calls and text chats.

"Tim hasn't had too much involvement in the performance side of British tennis since he stopped playing and I think it would be great for all of the players to have him come in and be involved," Murray told BBC Sport.

"He can get to know the players better, I think he could help all of us and more British players just outside of the ATP Cup team.

"It is a great experience for him and I think it will make him want to be involved in that side of things, which I think overall will be really positive for British tennis."

The ATP Cup, which carries 750 ranking points, is separate from November's revamped Davis Cup but could amalgamate with that tournament in the future, according to International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty.

Murray will open his 2020 season by taking on Bulgaria's former Wimbledon semi-finalist Grigor Dimitrov in Britian's opening match in Sydney.

The former world number one will meet Dimitrov, who reached September's US Open semi-finals and is ranked 20th in the world, on 3 January.

Murray was set to play Swiss great Roger Federer before the 20-time Grand Slam champion pulled out.

Federer, 38, said it would be "more beneficial" to spend more time with his family before the Australian Open later in January.

The withdrawal of the 20-time Grand Slam champion meant Switzerland were not eligible to compete because Henri Laaksonen - their next-highest-ranked player who committed to play the event at the first entry deadline - was ranked 110th at the time.

Murray told the BBC earlier this week it was "unfortunate" he would not be testing himself against Federer for the first time since having major hip surgery in January.