Djokovic to be able to play in French as things stand

Novak Djokovic will be allowed to play at the French Open even if he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 as long as the coronavirus situation in France remains stable, organizers said Wednesday.

Russian tennis players, including top-ranked Daniil Medvedev, will also be admitted to play in the tournament but as neutral athletes because of the war started by their country in neighboring Ukraine.

Organizers said there is nothing at the moment preventing Djokovic from defending his title at the claycourt Grand Slam. France this week lifted measures requiring the need to wear face masks in most settings and allowing people who aren’t vaccinated back into restaurants, sports arenas and other venues.

Djokovic was deported from Australia in January after a legal battle over whether he should be allowed to enter the country, forcing him to miss the Australian Open. He told the BBC last month that he was willing to miss upcoming Grand Slam tournaments as well if they required him to get vaccinated.

Djokovic has won the French Open twice and has a total of 20 major titles, one short of the record held by Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard won this year’s Australian Open.

Wimbledon organizers are having conversations with the British government about whether Russian players should be allowed to compete at the grass-court tournament this year if they don’t distance themselves from President Vladimir Putin.

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the day Medvedev was assured of moving atop the ATP rankings for the first time while competing at the Mexico Open.

“Watching the news from home, waking up here in Mexico, was not easy,” Medvedev said then. “By being a tennis player, I want to promote peace all over the world. We play in so many different countries; I’ve been in so many countries as a junior and as a pro. It’s just not easy to hear all this news. ... I’m all for peace.”

• Rafael Nadal became the second player in ATP Tour history to start a season 18-0, edging Reilly Opelka 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Only Djokovic has gotten off to better starts since 1990. The Serb went 26-0 to begin 2020 and 41-0 to open 2011.

Nadal rallied from a 2-4 deficit in the second set to lead 6-5. Opelka held after three deuces when Nadal netted a forehand chasing the American’s drop shot to force the second tiebreaker.

Nadal led 4-1 in the tiebreaker when Opelka struggled on his service returns. On his serve, though, the 6-foot-11 American closed to 4-3, hitting winners on a drop shot and a forehand.

Again on his serve, Opelka closed to 6-5.

But Nadal closed it out by pulling Opelka out of the court and the American’s backhand landed wide.

Nadal, a three-time champion in the desert, advanced to the quarterfinals against wild-card Nick Kyrgios. The Australian advanced to his first ATP Tour quarterfinal since winning Washington in 2019 after 10th-seeded Jannik Sinner withdrew because of illness.

Taylor Fritz fired 14 aces in outlasting Alex de Minaur, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).

Fritz next plays Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia in the quarterfinals. Kecmanovic overcame 14 aces by No. 6 seed Matteo Berrettini in a 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 victory.

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria beat John Isner, 6-3, 7-6 (6) and next plays No.7 Audrey Rublev, who beat Hubert Hurkacz, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

In women’s play, Simona Halep routed Petra Martic, 6-1, 6-1 to reach the semifinals. Halep won at Indian Wells in 2015.

• All four Grand Slam tournaments will now use a 10-point tiebreaker when matches reach 6-6 in the final set.

FIGURE SKATING Chen withdraws from world championships

Olympic figure skating champion Nathan Chen withdrew from the world championships because of what he called a “nagging injury” that he’s been dealing with after winning at the Beijing Games.

The three-time reigning champion will be replaced on the U.S. team by Camden Pulkinen next week in Montpellier, France.

Chen, 22, was one of the stars of the Winter Games with his “Rocketman” free skate clinching the gold medal that eluded him four years earlier in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Chen also helped the Americans win a team silver medal, which could become gold pending the outcome of a doping probe involving the Russian team.

Chen has not lost at the world championships since 2017, when he finished in sixth place. His run of dominance began the next year with his three straight titles interrupted only by the cancellation of the 2020 championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He could have become the first skater to win four straight titles since American star Scott Hamilton from 1981-84.

SKIING Splendor in the Alps: Shiffrin, Kilde shine

It was clear — crystal globe clear — that skiing’s power couple had a rewarding day in the French Alps.

Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde excelled in Courchevel in their first races of the World Cup Finals — the week when all the crystal globe trophies are awarded in men’s and women’s skiing.

They hugged, kissed and congratulated each other near after Shiffrin increased her lead in the overall standings by winning the women’s downhill.

“Good job! What a day,” Kilde said to his girlfriend after the American’s surprising win in the speed event.

By earning 100 World Cup points, while closest rival Petra Vlhová failed to score in 16th place, three-time overall champion Shiffrin turned an expected duel into a contest she can clinch today.

“It was incredible, how she raced was perfect,” Kilde told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “Together, this was a cool and incredible performance from both of us.”

Maybe Shiffrin was inspired by her boyfriend’s crystal globe-winning success just an hour earlier on the same Eclipse course.

Kilde started the last men’s downhill of the season with a 23-point lead over Olympic downhill champion Beat Feuz in the discipline standings. It held up, barely. Kilde finished fourth, one spot behind Feuz.

Coupling the men’s and women’s World Cup circuits for the season-ending races in France seemed to work for Shiffrin and Kilde, who trained on the same course since Monday.

“To be able to talk about that and discuss it, is incredibly helpful for me to improve on my downhill,” said Shiffrin, who struggled at the Beijing Olympics and left China without a medal. “But it’s also special to be able to share that.”

Shiffrin’s 74th career World Cup win — and only her third in downhill — gave her a 156-point lead going into the super-g today.

The men’s overall title was essentially settled last weekend but Marco Odermatt made his victory over Kilde, the 2020 champion, mathematically certain on Wednesday. Odermatt placed second, 0.34 behind winner Vincent Kriechmayr, to pad his lead even further beyond the 300-point mark with three races left.

Sofia Goggia collected the women’s downhill trophy, the third of her career, despite placing 12th. She raced after her closest rival, Olympic champion Corinne Suter, failed to post a fast time and ended 19th.

GOLF Saudi league unveils schedule, not players

Greg Norman and his LIV Golf Investments announced an eight-tournament schedule that will offer $255 million for the total prize fund and a format that includes both individual and team play.

Missing from the announcement was the names of who would be playing, which would affect their PGA Tour membership.

LIV Golf Investments, funded primarily by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund, said it is providing more than $400 million in “seed money” to launch the LIV Golf Invitational series, which blends 54-hole stroke play with a team concept.

Seven events would have a $25 million purse — $20 million for medal play ($4 million for the winner) and $5 million for the top three teams.

The PGA Tour just finished its richest tournament, with a $20 million purse at The Players Championship, won by Cameron Smith. The tour pays 18% of the prize money to the winner.

The schedule for the Saudi-backed rival league includes four tournaments in the United States. One is at Trump National in Bedminster, N.J. The others would be Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland, Ore.; Rich Harvest Farms outside Chicago; and The International, a private club about 30 miles west of Boston.

The series is to start June 9-11 at Centurion Golf Club in London — one week before the U.S. Open outside Boston — and conclude with a team championship at the end of October.

“Our events are truly additive to the world of golf,” Norman said in a news release. “We have done our best to create a schedule that allows players to play elsewhere, while still participating in our events.”

Players who join the PGA Tour are required to play a minimum of 15 tournaments. According to the regulations, tour members are not allowed to play another tournament when eligible for a PGA Tour event held the same week without a conflicting event release from the commissioner.

However, the regulations say conflicting event releases will not be approved for tournaments held in North America. Three of the LIV Golf Invitational tournaments would be opposite PGA Tour events, the John Deere Classic (July 1-3), Rocket Mortgage Classic (July 29-31) and an event in September as the tour starts its new season.

The top 10 players in the world have said they are staying put on the PGA Tour.

Along with not stating who has signed up, there was no mention of a television component.

MISCELLANY Russians banned from Euro Championships

Athletes from Russia and Belarus were formally banned from the multisport European Championships in August.

Organizers of the Aug.11-21 championships in Munich, Germany, said they supported decisions by officials from the nine individual sports not to invite Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials. They have followed guidance from the International Olympic Committee.

The sports are canoeing, cycling, gymnastics, rowing, climbing, table tennis, track and field, triathlon and volleyball. Though swimming is an exception among sports in trying to let Russians continue competing, it is not part of the European Championships format.