Djokovic thrown Sydney lifeline

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic was thrown a lifeline to continue his preparations for his Australian Open defense after he was knocked out of the Brisbane International on Tuesday.

The world number three was facing the prospect of going into the first grand slam of 2009, starting in Melbourne on January 19, with only one match under his belt this year following his shock 6-4 6-4 first round loss to his former training partner, Ernests Gulbis of Latvia.

However, organizers of the Sydney International, starting on Sunday, granted the Serbian a wildcard entry. It will allow him to get some vital practice matches in before the Open.

"I''m very grateful to receive the wildcard to Sydney," Djokovic said in a statement.

"It was disappointing to lose in Brisbane but I now have another chance for more high quality matches in Sydney."

Sydney International tournament director Craig Watson said he had no hesitation in extending help to Djokovic.

"We certainly understand that he will be looking for matches leading up to the Open and with that we are happy to be in a position to provide Novak with a wildcard," Watson said.

(Reporting by Julian Linden; editing by Pritha Sarkar)