Prime ministers discuss Djokovic
The prime ministers of Australia and Serbia on Tuesday discussed Novak Djokovic’s precarious visa after the top-ranked Serbian tennis star won a court battle to compete in the Australian Open but still faces the threat of deportation because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
The deportation drama has polarized opinions and elicited strong support for the 20-time Grand Slam winner in his native Serbia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Serbian counterpart, Ana Brnabic, agreed in their telephone conversation to keep in touch over the 34-year-old’s disputed visa, Morrison’s office said.
World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka was upset 5-7, 6-1, 7-5 by Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson, ranked No. 395, in a first-round Australian Open tune-up match.
Baylor is the unanimous No. 1 in the Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, while fifth-ranked USC climbed to its highest ranking in nearly five decades. The Bears (15-0) earned all 61 first-place votes for the fourth time in five weeks. Gonzaga, UCLA, Auburn and USC rounded out the top five. Arizona, Purdue, Duke, Kansas and Michigan
State rounded out a reshuffled group of the same top 10 teams from last week.
South Carolina topped then-No. 13 Louisiana State and No. 21 Kentucky to raise its record to 8-0 against top 25 teams this season, thus strengthening its grip on the No. 1 spot in the women’s poll. Stanford, Louisville, North Carolina State and Tennessee rounded out the top five. It’s the Vols’ highest ranking since Nov. 23, 2015. Indiana remained sixth, while Arizona fell three spots to seventh after suffering its first loss to USC on Sunday.
The Denver Nuggets finalized a deal with Detroit that will send big man Bol Bol to the Detroit Pistons. In exchange, the Nuggets received guard Rodney McGruder along with a 2022 second-round pick via Brooklyn. The 7-foot-2 Bol is the son of the late Manute Bol, who played 10 years in the NBA.
College Football Playoff expansion talks remain stalled and the possibility of implementing a new format by the 2024 season dimmed after three days of meetings failed to produce an agreement. It’s unlikely that an expanded playoff would come before the end of the current CFP contract that expires in 2026, but it was not ruled out altogether. ... West Virginia hired Graham Harrell as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to try to bolster a unit that ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in 2021.
The NHL postponed Tuesday night’s scheduled game between the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers because of COVID-19 issues with the Flyers. ... Dallas Stars coach Rick Bowness was fined $25,000 for twice slamming a stick against the boards behind the bench seconds after his team’s 2-1 loss at St. Louis. ... The NHL Players’ Assn. filed a grievance against the San Jose Sharks for terminating the remainder of Evander Kane’s contract, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told the AP.
Three-time Olympic gold medal gymnast Kohei Uchimura of Japan — the man they call “King Kohei”— is retiring. The 33year-old won gold in 2012 and 2016 as the best all-around men’s gymnast and also won a team gold in 2016. He also won four Olympic silver medals and 10 world championships. ... Chris Mazdzer, who thought his 25th-place finish in a World Cup luge race this past weekend had doomed his chances, was nominated for his fourth U.S. Olympic luge team.
Don Maynard, a Hall of Fame receiver who made his biggest impact catching passes from Joe Namath in the wide-open AFL, has died. He was 86. ... Robert “Bob” Falkenburg, who won the 1948 Wimbledon men’s singles final at age 22, has died. He was 95. Falkenburg also won college singles and doubles titles while at USC. ... Francois Carrard, the former longtime IOC director general who helped oversee its reforms after the Salt Lake City bidding scandal, has died. He was 83.