Struggling Djokovic splits with Agassi, Stepanek
Novak Djokovic is done working with Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek after the latest in a series of coaching changes for the 12-time major champion who has gone nearly two full years without winning a Grand Slam title.
Djokovic announced Wednesday on his website that he has split from Agassi after less than a year and from Stepanek after less than six months.
The 30-year-old Serb his past three matches.
“The private relationship with Stepanek was and will remain great, and Novak has enjoyed working with him and learning from him,” the posting on the website says. “He remains grateful and appreciative of all the support he has received from Radek during the last period.”
The only mention of Agassi comes in the final sentence, which reads simply: “The cooperation between Novak and Andre Agassi has also ended.”
Djokovic has struggled on the court this season as he deals with a right elbow problem that just won’t seem to go away, even though he took the second half of last year off and then had a medical procedure in February. His latest setback was a straight-set loss in his opening match last month at the Miami Open, a tournament he has won six times. has lost
No. 2 seed Kvitova loses opening match
CHARLESTON, S.C. » Kristyna Pliskova rallied from a set down to knock out two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova at the WTA’s Volvo Car Open.
Kvitova of the Czech Republic won six of the first seven games to take the opening set before countrywoman Pliskova came back for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory to advance to the round of 16 in the WTA’s first clay-court event of the season.
Kvitova had won 24 straight matches against Czech players before Pliskova’s victory.
UFC officially strips McGregor of title
NEW YORK » Conor McGregor’s run as UFC lightweight champion is set to end. The long-expected move that McGregor would lose his 155-belt was officially announced by UFC President Dana White at a press conference for Saturday’s pay-per-view card at Barclays Center. McGregor has not fought for UFC since he won the 155-pound title at UFC 205 in November 2016. McGregor last fought at all in a boxing match he lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Aug. 26, 2017.
White had not announced he would officially strip McGregor of the championship until Wednesday when he discussed the popular Irish fighter’s return to UFC this year.
“Conor McGregor is 100 percent coming back this year,” White said.
White said he did not expect McGregor to attend the fight.
Activitists protest Commonwealth Games
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA » As an opening ceremony featuring symbolic tributes to Australia’s indigenous people was getting under way, Aboriginal protesters were gathering outside the Commonwealth Games stadium to get a message across, too.
Flanked and outnumbered by a heavy police presence, about 100 protesters carried banners with the message “Colonisation Is Not A Game” and waved the black, red and yellow Aboriginal flags.
Chanting “No Justice, No Games,” they walked up to the stadium at Carrara in the rain on Wednesday night and were ushered by police, via a parking lot and soggy paddock, into a field across the road from the main entrance.
Australian Associated Press reported three protesters were arrested by police as they tried to enter the stadium without tickets.