Novak waits, holds out hope
Hearing on Aussie eligibility set for Monday
Locked in a dispute over his COVID-19 vaccination status, Novak Djokovic was confined to an immigration detention hotel in Australia on Thursday as the No.1 men’s tennis player in the world awaited a court ruling on whether he can compete in the Australian Open later this month.
Djokovic, a vocal skeptic of vaccines, had traveled to Australia after Victoria state authorities granted him a medical exemption to the country’s strict vaccination requirements. But when he arrived late Wednesday, the Australian Border Force rejected his exemption as invalid and barred him from entering the country.
A court hearing on his bid to stave off deportation was set for Monday, a week before the season’s first major tennis tournament is set to begin. The defending Australian Open champion is waiting it out in Melbourne at a secure hotel used by immigration officials to house asylum seekers and refugees.
Djokovic is hoping to overtake rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the records and win his 21st Grand Slam singles title, the most by any player in men’s tennis.
GOBERT TESTS POSITIVE AGAIN
The first time Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, the NBA didn’t even have health and safety protocols. It shut down the league instead.
This time, the Jazz center might just miss a few days.
Gobert has tested positive for COVID-19 and was placed Thursday on the virus-related protocols list — something that didn’t even exist when he tested positive for the virus on March 11, 2020, the night the NBA shut down for more than four months before it ultimately decided to finish its season inside a bubble at Walt Disney World in Florida.
He has been ruled out for Utah’s game Friday in Toronto. It is not clear how long he will be sidelined.
ANNOUNCER APOLOGIZES
Wizards announcer Glenn Consor apologized Thursday for a reference to Houston player Kevin Porter Jr.’s father on Wednesday night’s television broadcast.
Porter made a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to beat the Wizards, 114-111. Consor said: “You’ve got to give credit. Kevin Porter Jr., like his dad, pulled that trigger right at the right time.”
Porter’s father reportedly pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of a teenager in 1993. Consor said he didn’t know that and thought Porter was the son of former Washington player
Kevin Porter.
“Please allow me to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to Kevin Porter Jr., his family and the Rockets organization for the comments I made during last night’s game,” Consor said on social media.
Consor said he has reached out to Porter to apologize personally and hoped to talk to him soon.
BUCKS WAIVE COUSINS DeMarcus
The Bucks waived
Cousins on Thursday, a little over a month after signing the veteran center.
Milwaukee had until Friday to decide whether to guarantee his contract for the rest of the season.
The 31-year-old Cousins averaged 9.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 16.9 minutes in 17 games after signing with the Bucks on Nov. 30. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes Wednesday night in a 117-111 home loss to the Raptors.