Hewitt withdraws from Paris event

Hewitt is also awaiting the birth of his first child

World number four Lleyton Hewitt has become the latest big name to pull out of next week's Paris Masters.

The former world number one has withdrawn with a foot injury and will be replaced in the draw by France's Paul-Henri Mathieu.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the top two in the world, are both injured and have joined Marat Safin, Andre Agassi and Carlos Moya on the sidelines.

It means Andy Roddick is the only world top-six player still left in the field.

Federer has a torn ankle ligament that also puts his appearance at the end-of-season Masters Cup in doubt while Nadal, who won his fourth Masters title of the year in Madrid last week, is nursing a knee injury.

Former world number one Roddick has called for a shorter season for players.

"The various pull-outs prove that the players are tired at the end of a very long season," he said. "Everyone agrees that the season needs to be shorter."

"It's ridiculous to have to play for 10 and a half months of the year and there is no other sport where you have to do that," he said.