The men's ASB Classic tennis tournament has suffered a significant blow, with the withdrawal of top seed Daniil Medvedev.
The world No 5 has been playing at the ATP Cup in Australia this week, representing Russia, and informed tournament organisers of his decision on Friday.
In his absence, Fabio Fognini becomes the tournament's top seed, while Canadian Denis Shapovalov becomes the No 2 seed.
Medvedev's workload has already been tested in Sydney, playing four singles and two doubles matches so far during the ATP Cup.
The 23-year-old created headlines on Thursday for smashing the umpire's chair with his racket twice during a heated encounter with Argentina's Diego Schwartzman.
The first round of the men's ASB Classic is set to get underway next week.
