Serena Williams, Wozniacki to play doubles in New Zealand

Long-time friends Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki will play doubles together for the first time at the WTA Tour's ASB Classic in Auckland beginning on Jan. 6.

Former No. 1 Wozniacki has started her season in Auckland every year since 2015 and has made the hard court tournament the first stop of her short farewell tour.

The 29-year-old Wozniacki was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis shortly after winning her the 2018 Australian Open and will retire from tennis after playing the Open in Melbourne next month.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam winner, has not played doubles with anyone other than her sister Venus since the Fed Cup World Group playoff in 2015. Her last WTA tournament in doubles without Venus was in 2002.

Wozniacki hasn't played doubles for more than three years.

The pair are close friends. Williams was Wozniacki's bridesmaid at her wedding earlier this year and will play an exhibition in Copenhagen in May, Wozniacki's final match before retirement.

"We've been wanting to play doubles together for a long time but it just hasn't worked out so I'm really excited that it's finally going to happen, especially at one of my favorite tournaments on tour," Wozniacki said. "It's going to be so much fun!"

"This is a pairing that I think tennis fans have been waiting to see for a long time," tournament director Karl Budge said Tuesday. "To have Serena and Caroline on court together, on the same side of the net, is an amazing opportunity for tennis fans to see history being made."

Pouille missing Aussie Open, ATP Cup because of elbow injury

After reaching his first Grand Slam semifinals at the Australian Open this year, Lucas Pouille will not be back in Melbourne next month.

Pouille announced on Twitter on Monday he will miss the first tennis major of 2020 plus the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia and the Adelaide tournament, all in January.

The Frenchman stopped playing on the tour in October because of a right elbow injury. The recovery has been slower than he expected.

"Since October 9, we have put everything in place to be ready for the start of the year," Pouille tweeted. "We followed all the protocols given by the doctors but it was not enough. I am extremely disappointed and sad to miss the start of the year. My goal is to be 100% competitive as quickly as possible."

The 25-year-old Pouille has won five ATP titles but none this year. He was stopped at the Australian Open by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Australian Open increases prize money for 2020 tournament

The Australian Open says prize money for the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of next year will be increased by 13.6% to 71 million Australian dollars ($49.1 million).

Tournament organizers said in a statement Tuesday that the women's and men's singles winners will each receive A$4.12 million, or US$2.85 million based on current exchange rates.

Prize money has increased 61.4% at the Australian Open over the last five years, generally in keeping with prize money increases at the other Grand Slam tournaments— the French Open, Wimbledon and the U,S. Open, where this year's championship at Flushing Meadows paid $57 million in prize money and $3.85 million to the singles winners.

The Australian Open runs from Jan. 20 to Feb. 2 at Melbourne Park.

Andreescu out of Auckland event due to lingering knee injury

U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn from the ABS Classic due to a lingering left knee injury.

Andreescu said in a video released Tuesday on social media by tournament organizers that she was disappointed with the decision but that she needed more time to recover from the injury she sustained during the WTA Finals in late October at Shenzhen, China.

She was forced to retire from her second round-robin match against Karolina Pliskova.

"I spoke to my team and I really have to do what's best for my knee right now. I have so many amazing memories (in Auckland), so hopefully I can make more in 2021," the 19year-old Canadian said in the video.

Andreescu began an outstanding 2019 season with a runnerup finish in Auckland, beating former world No.1s Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams before losing in the final to Julia Georges.

She later won three titles, including her first Grand Slam singles title at the U.S. Open.

Andreescu has entered the Australian Open beginning Jan. 20 in Melbourne.