Unvaccinated Djokovic can’t travel to US, out of Miami Open
Novak Djokovic withdrew from Miami Open again because he still can’t travel to the United States as a foreign citizen who is not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Djokovic is out of the field for the event that begins next week, a tournament spokesman said Saturday. The 35-year-old from Serbia won that event six times, most recently in 2016.
Djokovic is No. 1 in the ATP rankings and is tied with Rafael Nadal — who is injured and also won’t be in Miami — at 22 Grand Slam titles, the record for most won by a man. In 2023, Djokovic is 15-1 with two titles, including at the Australian Open in January.
But he will now have missed the first two Masters 1000 events of the season. He pulled out of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, which ends this weekend, because he couldn’t get into the U.S. without having received any shots for the illness caused by the coronavirus.
In 2022, Djokovic also missed the trips to Indian Wells, Miami and the U.S. Open.
Women’s basketball
MINNESOTA HIRES WEST VIRGINIA’S PLITZUWEIT TO REPLACE WHALEN >> Minnesota hired West Virginia head coach Dawn Plitzuweit on Saturday to a six-year contract, turning to another leader with strong regional ties to try to lift up the lagging program.
Plitzuweit, who replaces Lindsay Whalen, has 16 years of experience as a head coach with a career record of 356-141 at four schools. She spent just one season with the Mountaineers, who as a 10th seed lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to No. 7 seed Arizona on Friday.
Prior to that, Plitzuweit took South Dakota to the NCAA Tournament in four of her six seasons there. She was a three-time winner of the Summit League Coach of the Year award with the Coyotes, who reached the Sweet 16 in 2022.
Plitzuweit also spent four seasons at Northern Kentucky and five seasons at Grand Valley State, which won the NCAA Division II national championship in 2006. Between those stops, she was an assistant at Michigan.
Skiing
SHIFFRIN RECEIVES SLALOM TROPHY >> Seven weeks after securing it, Mikaela Shiffrin was finally able to hold and kiss the crystal globe for the best slalom skier of the women’s World Cup season.
The dominant American had already locked up the discipline title at a mid-season slalom in the Czech Republic in January, but trophies in ski racing are traditionally handed over only in the final week of the season.
Her Slovakian rival Petra Vlhova used a frenetic finish on her decisive run Saturday to win the slalom at the World Cup Finals ahead of Croatian prodigy Leona Popovic, while Shiffrin placed third.
“It’s the sum of a lot of hard work and many amazing races and the work of the whole team,” Shiffrin said. “I’m very thankful and very proud.”
SWISS SKIER ODERMATT WINS GS >> Marco Odermatt underlined his dominance in men’s ski racing Saturday by breaking the 23-year-old male record for most World Cup points in a single season.
The Swiss standout won his last race of the season, the giant slalom at the World Cup Finals, by a massive 2.11 seconds over second-place Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway.
The victory lifted Odermatt’s
tally to 2,042 points and past the previous mark of 2,000 set by Austrian great Hermann Maier in the 1999-2000 season.
“Sorry, Hermann,” Odermatt quipped in a post-race interview with Austrian TV, adding the record meant “a lot” to him.
“The past days I always said: no no, not so important, just numbers,” Odermatt said. “But like I felt today with the pressure again, I knew it was more important than I said. I’m very happy that it worked.”
NFL
JAGS BRING BACK CB HERNDON >>
The Jacksonville Jaguars are bringing back veteran cornerback Tre Herndon on a one-year contract, the latest move to keep the bulk of last year’s AFC South champions intact.
Herndon agreed to terms Saturday and is expected to sign the deal next week.
Herndon will get a fully guaranteed $2.6 million in 2023, according to a person familiar with negotiations who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial details were not disclosed.
Soccer
GARY LINEKER BACK ON AIR TO LEAD BBC’S FA CUP COVERAGE
>> BBC presenter Gary Lineker made a low-key return to live TV on Saturday as he led the broadcaster’s coverage of FA Cup soccer but opted not to directly address his recent suspension over a tweet that criticized the U.K. government’s migration policy.
Lineker was reinstated by the BBC on Monday after the public broadcaster backed down and reversed its suspension of the former soccer great following a huge backlash and major interruptions to its normal sports coverage last weekend.
The 62-year-old Lineker, a former star for the England national team and one of the BBC’s best-known hosts, was back in the studio alongside fellow former players Alan Shearer and Micah Richards ahead of Manchester City’s FA Cup quarterfinal against Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.
“Alan, it’s great to be here,” Lineker said, his voice
sounding more hoarse than usual, but he made no other reference to the recent turmoil in his opening remarks.
Women’s hockey
OHIO STATE’S JACQUES WINS KAZMAIER AWARD AS TOP NCAA PLAYER >>
Ohio State defender Sophie Jaques won the Patty Kazmaier Award on Saturday, given to the top player in women’s NCAA Division I hockey.
Jaques, who is from Toronto, is the first Buckeye to win the award and the second-ever defender. She helped Ohio State to a 335-2 record and a berth in Sunday’s NCAA national title game against Wisconsin.
Jaques led all NCAA defenders in points (48), goals (24), power-play goals (9) and points per game (1.23) through 40 games. On the Buckeyes’ top defensive pairing, Jaques helped Ohio State hold opponents to 1.75 goals per game and blocked 55 shots this season