Australian Open chief Craig Tiley wants Novak Djokovic to participate in Melbourne but will not ask the world number one to disclose any medical reason he has for being unvaccinated against COVID-19.
The first grand slam of 2022 begins on January 17, but it is unclear if reigning champion Djokovic will be competing.
The Serbian, a nine-time Australian Open winner, is yet to disclose his vaccination status.
Following guidance from the Victoria state government, all players, staff and spectators at Melbourne Park must have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus or hold a medical exemption.
Djokovic has been named on the list for the draw and is also due to represent Serbia at the ATP Cup in Sydney, which runs from January 1 to 9.
"If Novak shows up, he'll be vaccinated or have a medical exemption," Australian Open chief executive Tiley told the Australian Associated Press.
"If any player, fan [or] workforce is on site here, you're either vaccinated or you have a medical exemption that's approved and you're on the Australian Immunisation Register.
"That provides us with safety and an extra level of comfort on site.
"We want to have the best players here; I'd love to have Novak here. If he meets those conditions then great, if not, it's disappointing."
Tiley added he does not expect Djokovic to reveal any medical reason for which he may not have received the vaccine, should he receive a medical exemption to feature in the tournament.
"Medically, he doesn't talk to anyone about it. I'm not going to ask Novak that, it's none of my business," Tiley continued.
"[It's] his choice on his medical condition, it's his choice to keep personal and private like all of us would do with any condition we may or may not have. We are not going to force him or ask him to disclose that.
"[If he is here] I will know that he fulfils one of those conditions."
Rafael Nadal is set to play in Melbourne, though that is in doubt after the Spaniard tested positive for COVID-19 this week, following his appearance at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Dubai.
Tiley, however, believes Nadal will have recovered in time.
"I'm confident Rafa will be here," said Tiley. "Players that are testing positive now will complete a period of time until they are no longer infectious and they will be fine.
"If you are going to test positive and you want to play the Australian Open, your timing would be now."
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne has risen to number one in the ICC Test batting rankings.
Labuschagne made his Test debut for Australia in 2018 against Pakistan in Dubai. However, it was during the 2019 Ashes that the 27-year-old came to prominence.
He became the first player to be a concussion substitute in a Test match when he replaced Steve Smith in the second match at Lord's, after the former Australia captain had been struck on the back of the neck.
His resilient 59 helped Australia secure a draw and he was named in the line-up for the following Test and has not looked back since.
Labuschagne has averaged 62.14 from 20 Tests, and has scored 74, 0 (not out), 103 and 51 in his four innings in the 2021-22 Ashes as Australia cruised into a 2-0 lead.
He has hit six centuries, including one double-hundred against New Zealand in January 2020.
Labuschagne's career-high 912 rating points saw him leapfrog England captain Joe Root, who has had a brilliant 2021 when it comes to run-scoring, even if his side have struggled.
Indeed, Root has now scored 4,859 runs as England Test captain, surpassing the previous record set by Alastair Cook (4,844).
Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and India's new white-ball captain Rohit Sharma complete the top five.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, meanwhile, has risen to the number one spot for T20I batsmen, though he is tied with England's Dawid Malan.
Mitchell Starc has bowled impressively in the Ashes so far and has moved into the top six for bowlers.
LeBron James is bullish that he will be fine for the Los Angeles Lakers' next game on Thursday despite an injury scare in Tuesday's 108-90 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
James went down writhing in pain in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his left ankle when driving to the basket.
The 36-year-old, who has had ankle issues this season, punched the floor at the time, but eventually got up to play on, finishing with 34 points and seven rebounds.
The four-time MVP was benched late but was confident he would be fine to play the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, brushing off questions about the ankle concern.
"I stepped on Jae Crowder's foot," James snapped at the post-game news conference when asked about what happened.
When pressed on the severity of the injury, he added: "Yeah, I'll be ready for the next game."
James clearly was not in a mood to discuss the concern as the Lakers' frustrating season continued, slipping to a 16-16 record after being dispatched by the Western Conference leaders.
The Suns and the Golden State Warriors continue to streak ahead in the west, boasting 25-5 and 25-6 records respectively.
"The Western Conference has got some really good teams right now, obviously Phoenix and Golden State are playing extremely good basketball," James added.
"For the majority of the season they've been extremely healthy. That definitely helps in terms of their chemistry."
The defeat comes with Anthony Davis sidelined with a knee injury for the next four weeks and leaves James uncertain about their status as genuine title contenders.
"I feel like that's a question I ask myself after every game," James said when asked if the Lakers were only good on paper rather than reality. "I don’t know, I don’t think so.
"We don’t know. We have no idea what this team could be. We haven’t been whole. February was the last time we played the same starting lineup or had the same rotation off the bench, it's been a long time so it's hard to assess that."
LeBron James hurt his ankle but played on as the Los Angeles Lakers were humbled by the in-form Phoenix Suns 108-88 led by Devin Booker with 24 points on Tuesday.
The Lakers had a major injury scare, with All-Star forward Anthony Davis already sidelined, after James rolled his left ankle driving to the basket in the third quarter, leaving him punching the floor.
The four-time MVP soldiered on, finishing with 34 points and seven rebounds, but spent the final few minutes on the bench as the Lakers were brushed aside by the Suns who improve to 25-5.
Phoenix have four straight and won six of their past seven games, having started the season 1-3. The Suns had seven different players in double figures on Tuesday.
Booker starred in his second game back after a hamstring injury with 24 points including six three-pointers, along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Suns center Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Talen Horton-Tucker had a nightmare game for the Lakers, shooting one of 13 from the field and none of eight from beyond the arc, while Russell Westbrook had 22 points and 10 rebounds but also seven turnovers.
Lillard's heroics in vain as Blazers lose
Damian Lillard's 39 points, including six triples, were not enough to lift the Portland Trail Blazers past the New Orleans Pelicans, going down 111-97. Brandon Ingram finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, while Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points with 16 rebounds.
Jalen Brunson stepped up in Luka Doncic's absence with 28 points including three triples in the Dallas Mavericks' 114-102 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 26 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Wolves.
Julius Randle had 21 points and 11 rebounds as the New York Knicks overcame the Detroit Pistons 105-91.
Brogdon injured as Pacers burnt by Heat
The Indiana Pacers' starting five combined for a measly 46 points in their 125-96 defeat to the Miami Heat. The Pacers were not helped by a sore right Achilles to Malcolm Brogdon which forced him off after eight minutes.
Veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss Milan's Serie A game with Empoli on Wednesday due to a knee injury.
Milan head coach Stefano Pioli confirmed the 40-year-old Swedish forward's absence along with Rafael Leao leaving him short of attacking options.
Ibrahimovic has netted seven league goals this term for Milan, who have only managed one point from their past two games, slipping four points behind leaders Inter in the league
"[Leao] won’t be there tomorrow, he’ll be back against Roma. Ibrahimovic won’t be there tomorrow because of an overload on his knee," Pioli told reporters.
Pioli was more positive about captain Alessio Romagnoli's prospects of playing, along with Theo Hernandez after illness amid an injury crisis at the club, without Simon Kjaer, Davide Calabria, Ante Rebic and Pietro Pellegri also out.
"Theo has become more complete, now he does the defensive phase better too," Pioli said.
"He gives us a lot on the attacking side. He’s better, I hope he’ll be in top condition tomorrow."
Pioli added that he paid little attention to the criticism levelled at his side lately, following Sunday's 1-0 home loss to Napoli who leapfrogged them into second spot.
"I read little, but some things are useful to improve," he said. "Against Napoli, Milan played a good match.
"We make mistakes that are not allowing us to get results, clearly we need to do something more. We need more quality."
Pioli added: "When results don’t come it’s right to be less calm, but also more determined.
"We have to think about tomorrow’s game, we want to get back on track after a home defeat. We wanted to score more points in the first half of the season than we did last year. It won’t be possible, but we want the three points tomorrow."
Milan have 39 points after 18 games, but have only collected eight points from their past seven league games.
Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Belinda Bencic has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of next month's Australian Open and is experiencing "severe" symptoms.
World number 23 Bencic returned a positive test, along with Ons Jabeur, after competing at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
The pair are the third and fourth players to have tested positive after travelling to the Abu Dhabi event, following 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu and 20-time major winner Rafael Nadal.
Bencic wrote on Twitter: "Unfortunately and even though I am fully vaccinated, I recently tested positive for Covid-19.
"I am currently isolating and taking all precautionary [measures] to get through this as best as possible as I am experiencing quite severe symptoms (fever, aches, chills)."
The Mubadala World Tennis Championship typically serves as a warm-up event prior to the Australian Open which is due to begin on January 17 in Melbourne.
World number 10 Jabeur, who defeated Bencic in Abu Dhabi, is experiencing "strong symptoms" and isolating in her native Tunisia.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says the league has no plans to pause its season despite the recent surge in COVID-19 cases across teams.
The league has been forced to postpone a total of five games, including three that were set to be played on Sunday, due to rising COVID-19 cases.
The National Hockey League announced on Monday it would take its Christmas break early amid similar challenges but Silver said the NBA did not have those plans.
"No plans right now to pause the season," Silver told NBA Today. "We have of course looked at all the options, but frankly we are having trouble coming up with what the logic would be behind pausing right now.
"As we look through these cases literally ripping through the country, let alone the rest of the world, I think we're finding ourselves where we sort of knew we were going to get to over the past several months, and that is this virus will not be eradicated, and we're going to have to learn to live with it. I think that's what we're experiencing in the league right now."
Numerous big names in the NBA have been forced into the league's health and safety protocols due to COVID-19 lately including Kevin Durant, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The NBA had sent a memo to teams on Sunday announcing new rules permitting replacement players who can be added upon losing players to protocols.
However, Silver said the league would not waver just yet on the requirements for protocols, with players who test positive needing to sit out for 10 days or until they get two negative PCR tests taken more than 24 hours apart.
"That's something, again, that it's not just our doctors but the medical community is looking at," he said. "I think they're already realising that you can move away from the 10-day protocol when you have players who are vaccinated and boosted.
"It seems the virus runs through their systems faster. They become not just asymptomatic but, more importantly, they're not shedding the virus anymore. That's the real concern in terms of others. And so we are actively looking at shortening the number of days players are out before they can return to the floor."
On the integrity of clubs experiencing outbreaks being forced to play on and hurriedly sign replacement players, Silver added: "I think there's a recognition that these are the cards that we've been dealt.
"Of course there's an amount of unfairness that comes with playing in certain cases with some teams where particular players are out because of COVID protocols, but the other advantage is we do have an 82-game season and we do have a long playoffs, and my sense is things will work out by the end of the season."
Inter head coach Simone Inzaghi is happy with the Nerazzurri's first half to the season but says you do not win trophies for being top at Christmas.
The Nerazzurri face Torino on Wednesday knowing that win, lose or draw they will sit top of the Serie A at Christmas, currently holding a four-point lead from Napoli and Milan who are both on 39 points.
Inzaghi took over at Inter following a challenging off-season for the champions with Antonio Conte exiting along with Romelu Lukaku but has steadied after a slow start yet he is motivated for more.
“It’s normal to be pleased at the moment," Inzaghi told Inter TV. "We’re thrilled to be top of the table heading into the winter break, but we know we don’t get any trophies for that.
"It’s a great feeling, but it should also spur us on to achieve more.
“We’re in good form. The players are all committed. We’re lucky enough to be working well together despite having so many fixtures to play.
"We’re doing well, but we know there’s still a long way to go. We’ve seen that over the first 18 games of the season the leaders have changed quickly."
Inter boasts an impressive record after 18 games, with 13 wins and only one defeat, having scored a league-high 48 goals despite Lukaku's off-season departure.
The Nerazzurri have won six in a row in the league and are undefeated in 10 games, dating back to October's 3-1 loss to Lazio.
Inzaghi's side have also qualified for the last-16 of the Champions League where they will face Liverpool.
"We’re on track in terms of what was asked of us, which was to get back into the last 16 in the Champions League and to be in the top four in the league, so we’re pleased," Inzaghi added.
"The players are working very hard and there’s motivation to keep going down this path, with all the many challenges that lie in wait.”
Xavi said he would struggle to sleep after Barcelona were unable to take advantage of their dominance in a 1-1 draw with Sevilla on Tuesday.
Los Nervionenses went ahead in the 32nd minute thanks to Alejandro Gomez's cool finish, but Barca pulled level on the stroke of half-time courtesy of Ronald Araujo's header.
It was no less than Barca deserved, given they had attempted 15 shots in the opening period – the most of any team in a first half in LaLiga this season.
Jules Kounde was dismissed in the 64th minute for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba's face after a coming together between the two players, yet Barca were unable to make their numerical advantage count in the closing stages.
It meant the Blaugrana have won only one of their past eight away games in the top flight, and while Xavi was frustrated with his side's inability to leave Andalusia with all three points, he was pleased with their performance.
"We have lost two points; we deserved to win, even when it was 11 against 11," he told Movistar.
"It will be difficult for me to sleep because we should have won. Sevilla were able to cool the game down; they are a veteran team, they know what they are doing and they work very well tactically.
"This Barca is close to the one we want, to be protagonists and be brave. It is the right way.
"I have seen a Barca with personality. It is what we want and the team is growing.
"We were good at high pressuring, recovering after losing the ball and the circulation of the ball. We competed very well, despite the draw."
Ousmane Dembele's future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks and he showed why Barca are keen to keep hold of him with a bright display.
The France international had a game-high five shots – one of which struck the upright late on – while no player on the pitch bettered his four key passes.
He also registered his second assist in as many games, sending in the corner for Araujo's header, to equal his tally from his previous 34 appearances for Barca in all competitions.
Xavi was pleased with Dembele's contribution and wants to see more of the same when Barca resume action after the mid-season break against Real Mallorca on January 2.
"We want this from him," Xavi added. "I say the same for [Ez] Abde or Ansu [Fati] when they are playing.
"We want pure wingers in the team; let them prove how good they are.
"It's a pity the goal was missing but he played a very good match."
Wojciech Szczesny has warned Juventus against playing with arrogance, despite their 2-0 win over Cagliari on Tuesday.
Moise Kean and Federico Bernardeschi were on target as Massimiliano Allegri's side closed the gap on the top four in Serie A to four points.
Kean put the hosts ahead in the 40th minute after they enjoyed 67.9 per cent of possession during the first half at the Allianz Stadium.
That figure slipped slightly to 59.3 per cent after the break as the Bianconeri allowed Cagliari a little more of the ball, though that seemed to provide Juve with more space in the final third as their shot count of 10 in the second period was double their first-half tally.
But before getting a second goal, Juve never looked truly comfortable. They dropped two points in similar fashion at Venezia 10 days earlier and were almost punished again as Cagliari saw two brilliant chances go begging – Dalbert narrowly failed to convert a cross, before Szczesny tipped over Joao Pedro's header.
Bernardeschi eventually secured a fifth win in six games with seven minutes remaining, but despite that and their greater shot frequency, Szczesny was left frustrated by what he perceived as negativity and a lack of intensity from Juve.
"We worked hard, but I think there's a lot we need to improve still – both in defence and up front," he told DAZN.
"Sometimes at 1-0, we relax and sit a bit too deep, but that's not good in the long run. We play arrogantly in those situations and I don't like it.
"It happened many times, including in Venezia when we conceded. We sit too deep in the second half. We can't keep lowering the level of intensity for 10 to 15 minutes every time.
"It went alright today, but we dropped two points against Venezia, so we can't keep doing that."
Hat-trick hero Eddie Nketiah saluted his team-mates after his maiden Arsenal treble in their thumping EFL Cup quarter-final win over Sunderland.
The young striker was on target three times as the Gunners advanced to the semi-finals of the competition following a commanding 5-1 victory at Emirates Stadium.
Nketiah produced a trio of poacher's finishes; netting the rebound from Rob Holding's first-half header, before turning home inviting crosses by Nuno Tavares and Nicolas Pepe after the break.
The 22-year-old continued his love affair with the EFL Cup, having taken his career tally to 10 goals from nine appearances – and seven in five on home soil.
And he is hopeful his exploits in this competition will eventually culminate in regular Premier League opportunities.
He told Sky Sports: "It's a great feeling. I just want to say a big thank you to my team-mates.
"I had some really good assists today; I just had to be in the right place.
"It's great to get my first hat-trick for Arsenal in the senior team.
"This is the competition where I've been getting starts and opportunities to play.
"Whenever I'm asked to play, I'm going to do my best to help the team. I'm ready if the manager needs me.
"I'm desperate to play football. All I can do is keep working hard and hopefully, I'll get opportunities."
Nketiah paid tribute to fellow youngster Charlie Patino, who was also on target for the hosts.
The 18-year-old substitute marked his senior debut by finding the net with a neat finish to complete the scoring.
"It's amazing for him. He's a great lad with a great future ahead of him," Nketiah added.
"I was delighted for him to get on the scoresheet.
"These games provide a great opportunity to get your debut and impress, and I think he did that today."
Jules Kounde was sent off as Sevilla missed the opportunity to crank up the pressure on LaLiga leaders Real Madrid after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Barcelona on Tuesday.
Los Nervionenses, who secured a last-gasp win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, went ahead shortly after the half-hour mark thanks to a smart set-piece routine finished by Alejandro Gomez.
Barca took a point back to Catalonia, though, courtesy of Ronald Araujo's header in the 45th minute, with Kounde seeing red in the 64th minute for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba's face after a coming together between the two players.
The result meant Sevilla failed to close to within three points of Carlo Ancelotti's leaders, while Barca passed up the chance to go fourth.
Barca dominated the early stages, with Ousmane Dembele looking particularly lively, but they were unable to truly test Yassine Bounou.
The hosts soon found their footing, though, and Rafa Mir saw an effort ruled out for offside midway through the first half.
Lopetegui's side went ahead in the 32nd minute when Gomez superbly swept Ivan Rakitic's low corner into Marc-Andre ter Stegen's bottom-right corner from 12 yards.
Barca drew level from a corner of their own on the stroke of half-time, Araujo heading into the bottom-left corner from Dembele's inviting delivery.
Sevilla's hopes of going on to win the game suffered a blow when Kounde reacted foolishly to Alba, leaving referee Carlos del Cerro Grande with little option but to send him off.
Gavi missed a glaring chance and Dembele struck the post from distance as Barca ultimately failed to make their advantage count in the closing stages.
Eddie Nketiah was the hat-trick hero as Arsenal marched through to the EFL Cup semi-finals after a comprehensive 5-1 win over Sunderland.
The young striker continued his impressive record in the competition, with a trio of poacher's finishes taking his tally to 10 goals in nine appearances.
Nicolas Pepe was also on target in the 27th minute for Mikel Arteta's side, who secured their first appearance in the last four since 2017-18, with the win capped off by teenager Charlie Patino.
The Gunners did concede their first goal of this season's EFL Cup courtesy of a neat Nathan Broadhead finish, but it proved a mere consolation for the League One outfit.
With 43 places separating the sides in the English football pyramid, Arsenal nearly broke the deadlock in the 12th minute; Nuno Tavares' attempted centre deflecting onto the crossbar off Elliot Embleton.
But the hosts took the lead five minutes later. Lee Burge could only parry Rob Holding's header from a Cedric corner, and Nketiah was on hand to scramble home the rebound.
Folarin Balogun went close before the Gunners doubled their advantage; Pepe playing a neat one-two with Cedric and his shot deflected in off Callum Doyle.
Sunderland responded well and halved the deficit following a quick counter that culminated in Embleton releasing the in-form Broadhead, who neatly lifted over the advancing Bernd Leno for his fifth goal in four games.
However, Arsenal restored their two-goal buffer within four minutes of the restart, Nketiah producing tremendous movement to turn home Tavares' cross at the near post.
And the striker completed his hat-trick in exquisite fashion nine minutes later, as he delightfully back-heeled Pepe's centre past a helpless Burge.
Patino put the icing on the cake in stoppage time when the youngster marked his senior debut with a neat first-time finish from Pepe's centre.
Federico Bernardeschi played a part in both goals as Juventus edged past Cagliari 2-0 to extend their unbeaten run in Serie A to five matches and make up ground on the top four.
Massimiliano Allegri's men had defeated Cagliari in nine of their previous 10 league meetings but were unable able to seriously assert their authority and were nearly made to pay before killing off the game late on.
Having earlier gone close with a header against the post, Moise Kean opened the scoring for Juve five minutes before half-time in their final match of a disappointing 2021.
Juve survived a couple of big scares in the second half before Bernardeschi, who created Kean's opener, struck in the 83rd minute to seal a win that moves the Bianconeri within four points of fourth-placed Atalanta, who drew 0-0 with Genoa elsewhere on Tuesday.
Kean headed Juan Cuadrado's right-sided cross against the upright with a thumping header 10 minutes into what proved a frustrating first half for the hosts.
However, the breakthrough duly arrived shortly before the interval when Kean adjusted his body to guide Bernardeschi's deflected cross past Alessio Cragno.
Cagliari, who have now conceded in 23 successive away league meetings with Juve, wasted a big chance to equalise before the hour as Dalbert steered wide from seven yards.
Joao Pedro did at least manage to test Wojciech Szczesny eight minutes later with a header down the middle that the Juve keeper tipped over.
But Juve made certain of the points through Bernardeschi's angled drive at the end of a counter, the winger ending a run of 513 days without a goal in Serie A.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
