A loss for Miami Open: Djokovic withdraws on eve of tournament
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Miami Open on the eve of the tournament, one week after being stunned by 123rd-ranked Luca Nardi in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not played in Miami since 2019, the last few years because he declined the COVID vaccine and U.S. COVID travel laws did not allow unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens to enter the country. Rules have changed and he was on the tournament entry list, but decided to return to Europe to prepare for the clay court season.
He made his announcement Saturday on social media: “Hi Miami! Unfortunately, I won’t be playing at the Miami Open this year. At this stage of my career, I’m balancing my private and professional schedule. I’m sorry that I won’t experience some of the best and most passionate fans in the world. I’m looking forward to competing in Miami in the future!”
Djokovic, 36, has won the Miami tennis tournament six times.
After the surprising loss to Nardi, Djokovic said he played “very, very bad.”
He added: “I’m going to obviously analyze what was done, what could have been done better, and then move on. I do play fewer tournaments, so I’m more selective with my schedule. So, of course it’s not great feeling when you, you know, drop out very early in the tournament.”
The Miami Open will be Sunday through March 31 at Hard Rock Stadium. For ticket information, visit miamiopen.com.
— MICHELLE KAUFMAN Elsewhere: Top-seeded Iga Swiatek of Poland extended her dominant run at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, routing 31st-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 6-1 in the semifinals Friday. In the final on Sunday, Swiatek will oppose ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece, who downed third-seeded Coco Gauff of Delray Beach, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2. It will be a rematch of the 2022 Indian Wells final, which Swiatek won 6-4, 6-1. Swiatek hasn’t lost a set through five matches at the tournament, though her quarterfinal was shortened when Caroline Wozniacki was forced to retire in the second set due to a foot injury.
ETC.
Boxing: Former champion Roberto Duran was receiving medical care for a heart problem, his family announced Saturday morning. A champion in four different weight classes, Duran, 72, “has suffered a health complication due to an atrioventricular blockade,” his family wrote on his Instagram account. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman revealed on social media that Duran was being treated in a hospital in his native Panama. Duran held titles in the lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight divisions during a boxing career that spanned from 1968-01. He owned a 103-16 record with 70 knockouts before retiring after being involved in a car accident.
Soccer: Despite winning the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup last Sunday, the United States women’s national team dropped two spots to an all-time low of fourth in the most recent FIFA world rankings. Since FIFA began ranking women’s national teams in 2003, the U.S. had never been ranked worse than third. The four-time Women’s World Cup winners — most recently in 2019 — earned a 1-0 victory over Brazil on Sunday to win the CONCACAF W Gold Cup at San Diego. But a 2-0 loss to Mexico in the group stage earlier in the tournament led to the fall in the rankings. Spain, which won the Women’s World Cup in 2023, was ranked as the top team in the world, followed by England and France, the U.S. and Germany.
Skiing: Mikaela Shiffrin closed her 13th World Cup season with a win in the women’s slalom, extending her record of victories on the season to 97 in Saalbach, Austria. It was her 60th time atop the podium in the World Cup circuit event. She finished in a combined time in her two runs of one minute, 53:22 seconds. Shiffrin, 29, returned to the slopes last week after missing six weeks due to a knee injury.