Wild card Nick Kyrgios admitted he was "pretty good" as he won in the opening round at the Indian Wells Masters over Sebastian Baez on Thursday.

The Australian cruised past Baez in one hour and 12 minutes, winning 6-4 6-0 to secure a second-round meeting with another Argentine, 32nd seed Federico Delbonis.

Kyrgios, who had not competed since January's Australian Open, was full of his typical flair, highlighted by 27-15 winners and 12-1 aces.

"When I play good, I'm pretty good," Kyrgios said after the match. "I'm just going back to basics."

Fabio Fognini made history in his 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory over Pablo Andujar, with his 392th career ATP win clocking up the most ever for an Italian, surpassing Adriano Panatta.

Compatriot Lorenzo Musetti also progressed on Thursday with a 6-3 7-5 win over American Marcos Giron.

Rising American talent Jenson Brooksby defeated Roberto Carballes Baena 6-1 6-4, while countryman and wild card Jack Sock brushed aside Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-1 6-1 in little over an hour.

Pedro Martinez made light work of Joao Sousa 6-4 7-5, while Tomas Machec got past Alexei Popyrin 6-3 7-5.

World number three Alexander Zverev claims his expulsion from last month's Mexican Open in Acapulco represented the worst moment of his life.

The German, speaking ahead of the first Masters 1000 event of the year at Indian Wells, said his assault on the umpire's chair, for which he received a fine of $40,000 and a suspended eight-week ban from tennis, was a mistake he would not repeat.

The 24-year-old, who won the 2021 ATP Finals title last November, says he is still embarrassed by his actions in Mexico, having struck the umpire's chair with his racquet several times during a stunning outburst.

"It still is embarrassing for me now," Zverev said. "Walking around the locker room, it's not a nice feeling.

"But we all do mistakes. I'm also a human being, and I can guarantee you I will never act this way again in my life. 

"It was definitely the worst moment of my life."

Zverev will begin the Indian Wells Masters as the third seed, although world number two Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw from the competition due to his vaccination status.

The 24-year-old, who exited at the quarter-final stage of 2021's delayed edition of the tournament, says he has been working hard to avoid a repeat of his Acapulco meltdown and knows there is no room for error given his suspended ban.

"I've been doing work, meditation-wise," he said. "I think there are stress[ful] situations in everyone's life where stuff like this happens. I'm not the first and I won't be the last for something bad to happen on the court.

"I know who I am as a person, and this doesn't reflect me. I had played until 5am the day before – the same day I went back to play doubles.

"I am somebody that gives it his all on the court. I would have never physically harmed anyone.

"If I do that again, they have every right to ban me – it's as simple as that.

"If I do that again, it means I haven't learnt. I think everybody in life deserves a second chance, but if you repeatedly do mistakes it means that you haven't learnt."

World number one Daniil Medvedev hopes that Russian and Belarusian tennis players will be allowed to continue competing but acknowledges there remains a chance of further restrictions.

The governing bodies of tennis (the International Tennis Federation, ATP, WTA, and the four Grand Slam events) recently announced that Russian and Belarusian players can no longer compete under the flags of their respective countries.

Russia launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine last month, a move that received the backing of Belarus, leading the ITF to revoke Russian and Belarussian membership and suspend the countries' teams.

That decision followed in the footsteps of rulings relating to Russian teams or competitors in various sports, including football and athletics.

Medvedev, who recently talked of his wish to "promote peace", said he hopes to continue to play, ahead of the first Masters event of the year in Indian Wells.

"It's always tough to talk on this subject because I want to play tennis, [to] play in different countries," the 26-year-old said.

"I want to promote my sport.

"I want to promote what I'm doing in my country for sure, and right now the situation is that that is the only way I can play [without representing Russia]."

Novak Djokovic has confirmed he cannot compete at Indian Wells due to not being allowed to enter the United States.

The former world number one was revealed as an automatic qualifier for the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells last month, though uncertainty surrounded his possible participation.

Djokovic was deported from Australia ahead of the Australian Open in January due to not meeting the country's COVID-19 vaccination requirements, with the Serbian choosing not to be jabbed.

After testing positive for – and recovering from – coronavirus the previous month, it was at one stage thought Djokovic might have been allowed entry to Australia on the grounds of having post-virus antibodies.

But he was ultimately ordered to leave the country and it quickly became clear the 34-year-old was likely to run into similar problems down the line.

Djokovic was included in the draw for the upcoming BNP Paribas Open, setting up a second-round clash with David Goffin or Jordan Thompson, and organisers said on Wednesday that talks were ongoing as they looked to determine the superstar's eligibility.

But America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states all non-US citizens travelling to the country "must be fully vaccinated with the primary series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine", with "only limited exceptions" applying.

Unsurprisingly, Djokovic has not been granted entry.

Confirming his situation, Djokovic tweeted: "While I was automatically listed in BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open draw, I knew it would be unlikely I'd be able to travel.

"The CDC has confirmed that regulations won't be changing so I won't be able to play in the US. Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments."

Djokovic has lost his place atop the ATP rankings to Daniil Medvedev and his inability to feature at the Australian Open meant Rafael Nadal set a new record for the most grand slam men's singles titles, as the Spaniard claimed his 21st success.

It is unclear whether Djokovic will be able to add to his 20 at Wimbledon or Roland Garros, while it seems he will also miss the US Open unless the CDC changes its regulations in the meantime.

Novak Djokovic is at the centre of another saga after being included in the draw for the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

The former world number one was handed a second-round clash against either David Goffin or Jordan Thompson.

All 32 seeds receive a first-round bye, so although the men's singles begins on Thursday at the California desert event, Djokovic is not due to be in action until the weekend.

However, it remains to be seen whether he is allowed into the United States, given he has declared he has not received any vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.

Tournament organisers admit they do not know whether Djokovic will play.

They said in a statement on the event's official Twitter feed: "Novak Djokovic is on the tournament entry list, and therefore is placed into the draw.

"We are currently in communication with his team; however, it has not been determined if he will participate in the event by getting CDC approval to enter the country.

"We will provide updates in the future as we learn more."

The CDC is America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which lays down requirements for non-US international citizens travelling to the United States.

Within its rules, it is stated that all non-US citizens travelling to the US "must be fully vaccinated with the primary series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine", adding that "only limited exceptions apply".

Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19 in December, and at one stage it appeared that recovering from that, and having post-virus antibodies, would be enough to allow him to travel to Melbourne and play in the Australian Open.

That proved not to be the case, with Djokovic twice detained after arriving in Australia before being deported.

He has since made his return to tennis at the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he surprisingly lost in the quarter-finals to Jiri Vesely.

The 34-year-old Serbian has been overtaken for the rankings top spot by Daniil Medvedev, the Russian who will be playing under a neutral flag while his country's military invasion of Ukraine continues. Medvedev will begin against Alexei Popyrin or a qualifier at Indian Wells.

Andy Murray has pledged to donate his prize money for the remainder of 2022 to children affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The conflict has led to more than two million people fleeing the country over the past two weeks, according to figures released by the United Nations.

Tennis' governing bodies, the ATP, WTA, and International Tennis Federation (ITF), as well as the four grand slam organisers, announced on Tuesday that they are to donate a total of $700,000 to help humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.

Three-time major winner Murray is also doing his bit by working closely with UNICEF – the world's leading organisation helping children in danger – to provide medical supplies and development kits.

"Over 7.5m children are at risk with the escalating conflict in Ukraine," Murray posted on his personal Twitter page.

"It's vital education continues, so UNICEF is working to enable access to learning for displaced children, as well as supporting the rehabilitation of damaged schools, together with replacement equipment and furniture. 

"I'm going to be donating my earnings from my prize money for the rest of the year, but anyone in the UK can support UNICEF's humanitarian response by donating to our appeal."

Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska donated her prize money from last week's run to the Lyon Open final, where she lost in three sets to Zhang Shuai, to help her home country.

The ATP, WTA, International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the four grand slam organisers have announced the Tennis Plays for Peace campaign.

Along with the campaign, which will include efforts on social media and at tournaments, each of the seven organisations has pledged to donate $100,000 to humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine.

Russia invaded the country on February 24 and the conflict is still ongoing. Well over one million refugees are estimated to have fled to neighbouring countries in Europe.

A joint statement from tennis' governing bodies on Tuesday explained that the campaign is not just about donations.

"The seven bodies will also signal support via their social and digital platforms by prominently featuring the Ukraine ribbon icon, with everyone in the tennis ecosystem encouraged to use the hashtag #TennisPlaysforPeace," it read.

"In addition, physical ribbons will be distributed for ATP and WTA players to wear at the upcoming BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells."

Last week, the ITF banned Russian and Belarusian teams from competing at the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean King Cup. Russia are the holders of each title.

The ATP and WTA, meanwhile, allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to carry on competing, but only under neutral banners.

That includes ATP world number one Daniil Medvedev and WTA world number three Aryna Sabalenka.

Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev has been issued a suspended eight-week ban and $25,000 fine by the ATP following his expulsion from last month's Mexico Open in Acapulco.

Zverev was withdrawn from the Acapulco event after an extraordinary outburst during a doubles match where he became angered at a call made the umpire, who overruled a decision from the line judge.

After losing the next point, which was match point, Zverev smashed his racquet against the umpire's chair three times. Zverev then shouted at the umpire that he had "destroyed the whole f****** match" before striking the chair again.

The ATP subsequently withdrew Zverev from the singles draw of the event due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the time and issued a statement on Monday after a review detailing the sanctions, including a suspended eight-week ban for aggravated behaviour.

"The review determined that Zverev committed Aggravated Behaviour under the Player Major Offense section of ATP Rules," the ATP statement said.

"As a result, Zverev has been issued an additional fine of US$25,000 and a suspension for a period of eight weeks from any ATP-sanctioned event.

"However, the fine and suspension are withheld on the condition that, over a probation period ending 22 February 2023 (one year from the incident), the player does not incur a further Code Violation that results in a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct… and verbal or physical abuse."

The German had been fined $40,000 at the time as well as forfeiting full event prize money of $31,570 and all ATP rankings points from the Mexico Open. He has since apologised for his actions.

Novak Djokovic has confirmed his professional partnership with long-time coach Marian Vajda has come to an end.

Djokovic revealed the pair agreed to part ways last year following the ATP Finals in Turin.

Vajda served as part of Djokovic's team for 15 years, playing a pivotal role in the 20-time grand slam champion's glittering career.

"Marian has been by my side during the most important and memorable moments in my career," Djokovic said in a post on his official website.

"Together we have achieved some incredible things and I am very grateful for his friendship and dedication over the last 15 years.

"While he might be leaving the professional team he will always be family and I can't thank him enough for all he has done."

Vajda said: "During my time with Novak, I have been lucky to watch him transform into the player he is today.

"I will look back on our time together with immense pride and am so very thankful for the success we have achieved.

"I remain his biggest support on and off the court and look forward to new challenges."

Vajda was joined on Djokovic's team by former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic in 2019. Ivanisevic will continue working with Djokovic as he bids to add to his tally of major triumphs.

Djokovic, who is unvaccinated against COVID-19, missed the 2022 Australian Open after having his visa cancelled on "health and good order grounds", leading to his deportation.

Rafael Nadal's triumph in Melbourne gave the Spaniard the outright record for grand slam triumphs with 21.

Djokovic made his 2022 debut in Dubai last month, losing in the quarter-finals to Jiri Vesely. On Monday, he was usurped as world number one by Daniil Medvedev.

Russian and Belarusian players, including ATP world number one Daniil Medvedev, will still be able to compete on the Tours and at grand slams, but the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has suspended the countries' teams.

Russia's Medvedev was only crowned world number one for the first time on Monday, though that success came amid the backdrop of an ongoing conflict between his nation and Ukraine.

To widespread international condemnation, Russia invaded Ukraine on Thursday, with that conflict since escalating further. Belarus, meanwhile, was effectively used as a staging post for part of the invasion force, though Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko has insisted the nation's military did not and will not play any part in any operation.

Governments and organisations around the world, including governing bodies within sport, have responded with strict sanctions against Russia and certain individuals with links to president Vladimir Putin.

On Tuesday, the governing bodies of tennis (the ITF, ATP, WTA and the four grand slam events) announced sanctions of their own.

While Medvedev and other Russian and Belarusian players, including Andrey Rublev and WTA world number three Aryna Sabalenka, will be allowed to play in tournaments on both the men's and women's Tours, and the four grand slams, they will have to compete under neutral banners, with the flags of each country banned.

However, the WTA and ATP combined event in Moscow, scheduled to take place in October, has been suspended.

Meanwhile, Russia and Belarus have had their memberships of the ITF revoked, while all ITF tournaments set to be held in those countries have been suspended indefinitely.

Russia hold both the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.

The immediate upshot of the decision is that Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian who is top seed at the Monterrey Open, will play her first-round match against Anastasia Potapova on Monday.

Svitolina said earlier in the day that she would refuse to play against any Russian or Belarusian opponent unless all national emblems, flags and colours were removed.

However, prior to the joint announcement from tennis' governing bodies, Svitolina told ITV News: "There's been a lot of discussion.

"Today they will release a statement that they will remove the flags. So we are waiting just for the final confirmation about that. I will be playing tonight because my opponent is going to be under a neutral flag."

Svitolina has pledged to donate all of her prize money from upcoming tournaments to assist Ukraine's fight against Russia.

The statement from tennis' governing bodies read: "A deep sense of distress, shock and sadness has been felt across the entire tennis community following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the past week.

"Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine, and we commend the many tennis players who have spoken out and taken action against this unacceptable act of aggression. We echo their calls for the violence to end and peace to return.

"The safety of the tennis community is our most immediate collective priority. The focus of the WTA and ATP in particular in recent days has been on contacting current and former players, and other members of the tennis community from Ukraine and neighbouring countries, to check on their safety and offer any assistance."

Daniil Medvedev has officially been crowned as the ATP's new world number one.

The Russian, who claimed his first grand slam title at the US Open last year and reached this year's Australian Open final, only to lose to Rafael Nadal, has been sure of his place at the top of the rankings since Novak Djokovic's shock defeat to Jiri Vesely in the Dubai Tennis Championships last week.

Medvedev was aiming to cap off a sensational week by claiming victory at the Mexican Open, but the 26-year-old lost to eventual champion Nadal in the semi-finals in Acapulco.

Here, Stats Perform looks at the numbers behind Medvedev's rise to number one.

1 - Medvedev is the first player outside of the "big four" of Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray to be crowned number one since Andy Roddick, way back on February 1, 2004 (18 years, three weeks and six days).

198 - At 198cm in height, Medvedev is the tallest player to be crowned world number one.

13 - Medvedev has won 13 Tour-level titles so far.

27 - He is the 27th different ATP world number one. The first was Ilie Nastase, in August 1973.

3 - Medvedev is the third Russian player to reach the top of the ATP rankings, after Yevgeny Kafelnikov (May 1999) and Marat Safin (November 2000).

6 - At 26, Medvedev is the sixth-oldest player to become world number one for the first time in their career.

361 - Djokovic has held the number one spot for 361 weeks in total – a record. It had been 86 weeks since the Serbian was last not at the top of the pile.

Pedro Martinez secured his maiden ATP Tour title with a 4-6 6-4 6-4 victory over Sebastian Baez at the Chile Open on Sunday.

Both players were competing for their first success in Santiago, with fourth seed Martinez appearing in his second tour-level final after losing to Casper Ruud in Kitzbuhel in July.

World number 72 Martinez sat six places above his opponents in the rankings, but it was seventh seed Baez who claimed the first set before the Spaniard bounced back to send the match to a decider.

Martinez carried that second-set impetus into the final set, eventually triumphing after 2 hours and 48 minutes as he condemned Baez to just his third loss in 29 outings in Chile since the start of the 2021 season.

Rafael Nadal said he will not measure himself against other players' records until his career is over after adding another trophy to his impressive collection, beating Cameron Norrie in straight sets to lift the Mexican Open.

Nadal continued his undefeated start to 2022 with his third title for the year after beating the British sixth seed 6-4 6-4 in Acapulco on Saturday.

He is now on a run of 15-0 this season, claiming his 91st ATP Tour crown along the way.

It was also Nadal's fourth Mexican Open title, having previously won in 2005, 2013 and 2020.

His recent win at the Australian Open put him clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on 21 grand slam titles, but he still sits behind Ivan Lendl (94), Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) for ATP tournament victories.

After his win in Mexico, Nadal said he is not concerned about records as long as he is still playing, saying: "At the end of the day, I've always said that this kind of record needs to be measured once your career is over.

"Today the most important thing is that I have won a prestigious tournament."

The 35-year-old's incredible form is all the more impressive considering he was forced to miss last year's US Open to deal with a foot issue that troubled him all the way to the lead-up to January's Australian Open.

"It was complicated, and I ended up taking the victory. Looking back, a few weeks ago this would have looked impossible," he added.

"It's amazing how things can change in such a short span, from not being able to practice and now to be where I am today."

Rafael Nadal continued his remarkable start to 2022 with his third title for the year after beating British sixth seed Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4 in the Mexican Open final in Acapulco on Saturday.

The 21-time major winner extended his 15-0 winning run for the calendar year, claiming his 91st ATP Tour crown along the way. The triumph was also Nadal's fourth Mexican Open title, having also won in 2005, 2013 and 2020.

Nadal, who beat new world number one Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals and did not drop a set in Acapulco, won in one hour and 54 minutes over a dogged Norrie.

The 35-year-old's achievements are all the more remarkable considering he was forced to miss last year's US Open to deal with a foot issue which troubled him all the way to the lead-up to January's Australian Open.

Norrie pushed the Spaniard, breaking back late in the second set when trailing 5-2, but the defeat ends his eight-game winning streak after lifting the Delray Beach Open title last week.

The Spaniard made 79 per cent of first serves, winning 71 per cent on them, while he converted four of his five break points for the match in typical ruthless fashion.

Nadal claimed the only break of the first set in the fifth game, capitalising on a trio of misses from Norrie.

Both players broke serve early in the second set, with Norrie leading 2-1 before Nadal rattled off four straight games to serve for the crown.

However, Norrie was not done yet, breaking back and holding serve, before the Spaniard finished the job in his 128th appearance in an ATP decider.

Andrey Rublev cruised to the Dubai Tennis Championship title with a 6-3 6-4 final victory to end the dream run of qualifier Jiri Vesely.

Having made headlines after his semi-final triumph over Hubert Hurkacz by writing "no war please" on a television camera in protest at Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Rublev wrapped up his third title in just a matter of days in emphatic fashion, after winning both the singles and doubles titles at the Open 13 Provence in Marseille last week.

The Russian world number seven had needed three sets in each of his last three contests but wrapped up a more straightforward victory against his Czech opponent, who had defeated 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic en route to the final.

Rublev broke Vesely's serve in the fourth game of the contest, not dropping a single point behind his first serve as he roared to a 6-3 win in the opening set.

The 24-year-old then broke again in the opening game of the second set, before the Czech, ranked number 123 in the world, battled back bravely to level the set at 3-3.

Rublev responded in brutal fashion, however, immediately breaking again and going on to seal a comfortable victory, hitting just eight unforced errors throughout the contest, as he claimed his 10th career title.

The victory made it 13 match wins in a row for Rublev across singles and doubles after his successful time in Marseille, where he successfully teamed up with Ukrainian Denys Molchanov for a symbolic doubles triumph.

"I was lucky today, and that's why I am happy to be the champion, I didn't expect this," said Rublev. "It's an amazing feeling and I don't know what to say."