SYDNEY - Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber will defend her Sydney International title in January in preparation for next year's Australian Open, organisers said Friday. The German climbed to No4 in the world rankings after she claimed her first Wimbledon title last week. Kerber, who downed Australia's Ash Barty to win this year's Sydney final, said the tournament will be a good tune-up for the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on January 14. "Playing the Sydney International is always a great opportunity to face some top quality opposition," Kerber said in a statement. "Every single match is really tough, so it's a great way to fine-tune my game after the off-season, and also get used to the weather conditions in Australia, which are quite different to Europe at that time of the year.