MELBOURNE -- World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt's chicken pox has given fellow Australian Scott Draper the chance to grab the last place in the eight-man field for the Kooyong Classic, officials said.

Kooyong tournament director Colin Stubs said he had been leaving open the eighth spot for Hewitt, 20, who withdrew from the Hopman Cup after coming down with the virus.

Hewitt is now battling to be fit for the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on Jan. 14.

Draper will join Americans Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, German Tommy Haas, Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Spaniard Alex Corretja, Swede Thomas Enqvist and Australia's Taylor Dent in the Jan. 9-12 tournament at Kooyong in Melbourne, where each player has three matches over four days.

Left-hander Draper, 27, won the Queen's Club tournament in 1998.

Draper received a wild card this week for the Australian Open.