(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-26 13:43

MELBOURNE - Argentina's David Nalbandian has been confirmed as the final entrant for the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament, a traditional warm-up event for the Australian Open.

Argentina's David Nalbandian returns a shot to Spain's Rafael Nadal during the final match in the Paris Bercy Tennis Open November 4, 2007. [Agencies]

Nalbandian will join world number one Roger Federer for the invitational tournament, where each of the eight-man field plays three matches in a promotion/relegation format.

The Argentine beat Federer and world number two Rafel Nadal

twice each in winning successive Masters Cup events in Madrid and Paris towards the end of the season, sending him back into the world's top-10 after suffering knee and back injuries in the first half of the year.

Kooyong champion Andy Roddick, who defeated Federer in the final, has already confirmed along with Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, Britain's Andy Murray, Germany's Tommy Haas, Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic and Russia's Marat Safin.

The Kooyong tournament runs from January 9-12, with the Australian Open beginning on January 14.