Elina Svitolina said she "was on a mission" for Ukraine after earning a straight-sets win over Russian opponent Anastasia Potapova in the opening round of the Monterrey Open.

The top seed donned the yellow and blue colours of her homeland for Tuesday's match and eased to a 6-2 6-1 victory in a little over an hour in Mexico.

Svitolina only agreed to play her opener after tennis authorities announced a ban on Russian and Belarussian players competing under the name and flags of their countries.

And as Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered its sixth day, the 27-year-old produced an impressive performance that saw her win 73.5 per cent of her first-serve points.

Former world number three Svitolina, who will now face Bulgarian qualifier Viktoriya Tomova, had previously announced she will donate her prize money to the Ukrainian army.

"It's a special one because of what we are going through right now in Ukraine, it's terrifying," Svitolina told reporters. 

"It's been six days and all the Ukrainian tennis players and Ukrainians who are there, we have been really terrified with what is happening.

"For me, playing the match here, I'm not playing only for myself. I'm playing for my country, I'm playing for the help of the Ukrainian army and people in need. 

"I was focused. I was on a mission for my country. From the beginning, it was important to be ready for anything that comes my way."

Petra Martic is also through to round two after recovering from behind to beat third seed Madison Keys 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 6-3.

Marie Bouzkova awaits following the world number 81's 4-6 6-2 6-4 win against Sara Errani. Number eight seed Ann Li's participation in the tournament came to an end with a 6-2 6-1 loss to Wang Xinyu, who will now face Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Stephen Curry says the Golden State Warriors "have to be more in sync as a five-man unit" after going down to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

The Warriors hold the second-best record in the NBA at 43-19 but their 129-114 reverse was a sixth defeat in eight games for Steve Kerr's out-of-sorts team.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he saw a "breakdown in our connection" against the Timberwolves, a fact that perhaps should not be altogether too surprising.

Draymond Green has missed 24 straight games, while Andre Iguodala has been absent for 15 of the past 16. Superstar Klay Thompson returned from two straight serious injuries on January 9 but has restrictions on his minutes.

Moses Moody started in place of Thompson against the Timberwolves only to suffer an eye injury and exit the game in the second quarter.

The consequence has been Kerr being forced to mix up his starting five, and Curry concedes the chemistry is not quite there for the Warriors.

"We have a lot of different rotations and lineups and we try to make adjustments on the fly. We have to be more in sync as a five-man unit," Curry said.

"We've had a lot of shuffling. It's not an excuse for how we're playing, but we are built as a full team. And until we get that, I'm not sure if we'll see our full ceiling, but we have to do the little things in the meantime to keep building confidence.

"I'm just trying to stay patient in terms of where we are in the season and what we are trying to do in a month and a half."

The Warriors have the opportunity to return to winning ways when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday.

Luka Doncic stepped up to help the Dallas Mavericks recover and overcome the Los Angeles Lakers 109-104 in Tuesday's topsy-turvy encounter.

The Mavericks blew a 21-point lead in the space of 12 minutes spanning half-time at Crypto.com Arena and trailed 100-94 with seven minutes to play.

But 11 consecutive points ensured Jason Kidd's side claimed an eighth win in 10 outings, while the out-of-form Lakers slid to a season-worst seven games below .500.

While not at his best, Doncic led the scoring for the Mavericks with 25 points – seven of those in the final quarter – as he went 9 of 21.

LeBron James scored 26 points for the Lakers and Carmelo Anthony had 20, but it was not enough to prevent the hosts from tasting a sixth loss in seven outings.

Timberwolves inflict another defeat on Warriors

The Golden State Warriors (43-19) have the second-best record in NBA, but they lost for a sixth time in eight games with a 129-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Karl-Anthony Towns had 39 points and nine rebounds, while going 14 for 22 from the floor, as the Timberwolves made it back-to-back victories.

"We're going to be fine long-term. I'm excited about our team and excited about where we can go, but we've just got to weather this storm," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

Clippers' run goes on, Nets downed by Raptors

The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Houston Rockets 113-100 thanks to Ivica Zubac's 22 points and 12 rebounds for their fourth win in a row as they went 33-31 for the season.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, the struggling Brooklyn Nets lost to the Toronto Raptors for a second time in two days, going down 109-108 in a tight contest at Scotiabank Arena.

Jayson Tatum's 33 points, eight rebounds and seven assists inspired the Boston Celtics to a 107-98 win against the Atlanta Hawks, while the Washington Wizards beat the Detroit Pistons 116-113.

It isn't clear what the San Francisco 49ers' asking price is for Jimmy Garoppolo, but interested buyers have been provided with a very good reason to go under it this offseason.

The Niners appear destined to trade Garoppolo this offseason to pave the way for Trey Lance, for whom they traded three first-round picks to acquire with the third overall selection in last year's draft, to take over as their starting quarterback.

That is despite a 2021 season that saw the 49ers reach the NFC Championship Game with Garoppolo at quarterback.

San Francisco surrendered a 17-7 fourth-quarter lead to lose 20-17 to eventual Super Bowl champions the Los Angeles Rams, the tale an all too familiar one for the Niners with Garoppolo intercepted on the final drive having proven unable to deliver victory in similar circumstances in their Super Bowl LIV loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of the 2019 season.

Garoppolo's inability to elevate the 49er passing game on the biggest of stages is one reason why the Niners are set to move on from him and any teams in the market for a quarterback were given a reminder of another reason on Tuesday.

According to multiple reports, Garoppolo is set to have surgery on a shoulder he injured in the Niners' Wild Card Round win over the Dallas Cowboys and will be out of action for 16 weeks, meaning he will not be able to throw until after the start of organised team activities.

Durability, or lack thereof, has been a continued problem for Garoppolo, who has missed 25 regular-season games in his 49ers career due to injury.

And the prospect of him starting his career with a new team behind the 8-ball due to his surgery is sure to dent his value to those considering making a move for the former second-round pick.

Yet, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, there is "significant interest" in Garoppolo from multiple teams even with the prospect of him missing the start of preparations for the new season.

The Niners, minus a day-one pick in the draft, are hoping to recoup capital for Garoppolo as they look to retool the roster around Lance.

However, even if the level of interest in high, the compensation on offer to the 49ers may not be for a quarterback with injury issues and consistent problems with turnovers.

Garoppolo finished the 2021 season second in the NFL with 8.64 yards per attempt, but he also led all quarterbacks in yards after the catch per pass attempt with (6.6), illustrating his reliance on short passes and the ability of the likes of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk to do damage with ball in hand.

A limited downfield thrower, Garoppolo completed just nine passes of 21 air yards or more in 2021. Only six quarterbacks (min. 200 pass attempts) averaged fewer air yards per attempt than Garoppolo's 7.38, while his pickable pass rate of 4.82 per cent was the sixth-highest in the league, according to Stats Perform data.

In other words, Garoppolo was not regularly attempting ambitious throws but put the ball in harm's way more than the vast majority of his counterparts.

Having seen San Francisco win and go deep into the postseason in each of the two full seasons in which Garoppolo was healthy, at least one team will be ready to bet they can build an offense around him to allow them to do the same. But, between his injury history, his imminent lengthy rehabilitation period and his obvious shortcomings, they might not be willing to gamble as much as the Niners are hoping for.

The Green Bay Packers have not had a single inquiry regarding a trade for Aaron Rodgers, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst.

Rodgers has yet to make a decision on his future, with another season with the Packers, a move elsewhere and retirement all seemingly on the table for the four-time MVP.

Though there has long since been talk about which teams could get involved in a potential Rodgers sweepstake, Gutekunst is yet to field a single offer.

"Not at all. Not at all. Not a single person," Gutekunst replied when asked if anybody had phoned regarding Rodgers' availability.

Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Gutekunst added that he expects a decision from Rodgers before the start of free agency on March 16.

"I would hope so, yeah," Gutekunst added. "That's obviously the start of the new league year.

"There's a lot of decisions that have to be made before that. So that would be helpful. I would think we would know something before then."

Relations between Rodgers and the Packers certainly appear more amiable than they were when reports emerged before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft that he wished to part with Green Bay.

Rodgers has recently said as much, telling The Pat McAfee Show of his conversations with the franchise after the Packers' playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers: "I would say the meetings were much different than they've been in the past, in a positive way, and that there were some real, honest conversations that I appreciated."

His words seemingly point towards Rodgers potentially remaining in Green Bay, and the Packers' vice president of football operations Russ Ball has been in talks with David Dunn, who represents Rodgers, over a contract.

"It's part of the process [of Rodgers' decision-making]," Gutekunst said of those discussions. "You know, Russ, obviously, does a good job, and he's kind of prepared for kind of any which way we might go."

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.

The 2022 MLB season will not start on time after owners and players failed to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement.

A deadline of 17:00 eastern time on Tuesday had been set by management, yet no deal was stuck.

Commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the first two series of the season were cancelled as the players remain locked out in an ongoing and bitter labour dispute.

"I had hoped against hope I wouldn't have to have this press conference where I am going to cancel some regular-season games," Manfred said on Tuesday.

"We worked hard to avoid an outcome that's bad for our fans, bad for our players and bad for our clubs.”

The MLB Players' Association issued a statement less than an hour after Manfred spoke, saying that players and fans worldwide are "disgusted, but sadly not surprised."

"What Rob Manfred characterized as a 'defensive lockout' is, in fact, the culmination of a decades-long attempt by owners to break our Player fraternity," the statement said.

"As in the past, this effort will fail."

The sides did make some progress, however, negotiating for over 16 hours on Monday before management made its "best and final offer" on Tuesday, the ninth straight day of meetings.

The players' union rejected that offer, and the owners followed through on their threat to cancel games.

Only the first week of games have been officially cancelled, so MLB could salvage a 156-game season starting on April 8 if a deal is made in the coming days, but the two sides remain divided with no imminent resolution in sight.

The players have yet to accept any cancellation and could try to negotiate for the unlikely result of rescheduled games. Manfred explained that the league will not compensate players for any cancelled games.

Among the key monetary issues still being discussed are the scale of a Competitive Balance Tax, minimum salaries and bonus pool money for pre-arbitration players.

Player salaries have dropped four per cent since 2015, when Manfred became commissioner.

Manfred – along with players' union leader Tony Clark – are likely to receive the ire of fans as baseball will have a shortened season for the second time in three years. The 2020 campaign was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Players stand to lose $20.5million in salary for every day of the season that is cancelled.

Tyson Fury has claimed it is "100 per cent" certain that he will retire after his fight with Dillian Whyte in April, casting doubt over whether he will ever face Anthony Joshua.

Fury and Joshua's camps were supposedly close to reaching an agreement for a huge heavyweight bout this year, yet that deal failed to materalise.

Instead, Fury is taking on another of British boxing's big names in the form of Whyte, who he faces at Wembley Stadium on April 23, with the WBC belt on the line.

However, 33-year-old Fury says he has no intention of carrying on his career after facing Whyte, who did not attend the first media conference to preview the fight.

Fury said the fight would "100 per cent" be the last of his career.

"I'm a two-time undisputed world champion," he added.

"This is the final fight of my career, I'm retiring after this, $150million in the bank, nothing to prove to anybody, healthy, young, I'm gonna buy a massive yacht abroad.

"I'm retiring, I'm out, this is my final fight, I'm done."

Fury has won 31 of his 32 professional fights, with the other being a contentious tie in his first of three meetings with Deontay Wilder – he triumphed in the second and third bouts.

Russian drivers have avoided being banned by motorsport's world governing body, meaning Haas driver Nikita Mazepin can compete for his Formula One team.

A range of measures was announced by the FIA on Tuesday, with teams representing Russia and close ally Belarus being suspended until further notice.

The conflict since the Russian-led invasion of Ukraine was addressed at an extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC).

Drivers from Russia and Belarus will be barred from racing as representatives of their countries, but they will be allowed to compete as neutrals, providing they do not step out of line.

Mazepin is the only Russian driver on the F1 grid, with the 22-year-old due to start his second season in Bahrain later this month.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem told the meeting the FIA was observing events in Ukraine "with sadness and shock", adding that he hoped for "a swift and peaceful resolution". He also spoke of concern for the FIA's Ukrainian members and their current "intolerable hardship".

"We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and our thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the events in Ukraine," he added.

The FIA said none of its competitions should take place in Russia or Belarus until further notice, with flags or symbols of either country also banned for now, along with anthems and national colours.

Outlining its position on drivers, the FIA stated: "Russian/Belarusian drivers, individual competitors and officials to participate in international/zone competitions only in their neutral capacity and under the 'FIA flag', subject to specific commitment and adherence to the FIA's principles of peace and political neutrality, until further notice."

The Russian Grand Prix, which was due to take place in September, has already been cancelled by F1 chiefs, with the FIA describing that as a decision taken "for reason of force majeure".

The Miami Heat have surged to the top of the Eastern Conference but will receive a stern test of their credentials on Wednesday when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Miami went 9-1 in February to take a two-game lead atop the East, capping a stunning month by routing the Chicago Bulls 112-99 on Monday.

Milwaukee sit two games further back but will be out to prove it is they who are the team to beat as the Bucks aim to successfully defend the NBA title.

The Bucks will not be facing a full-strength Heat team, with Kyle Lowry out for personal reasons and Victor Oladipo absent with a right knee injury.

Being slightly undermanned has not proven an issue for the Heat of late, yet it may be different against the Bucks and their two-time MVP.

Giannis Antetokounmpo used the month of February to deliver a scarcely needed reminder of why he is arguably the finest basketball player on the planet.

However, having made the NBA Finals two seasons ago, the Heat have shown they can deliver against top-tier opposition.

The Bucks, though, have been a thorn in Miami's side, sweeping them in the first round en route to the title last season, and this encounter may provide an insight into whether the Heat, who have won two out of their meetings with Milwaukee this season, can cause the defending champions serious problems in the postseason.

PIVOTAL PERFORMERS

Miami Heat - Bam Adebayo

No player was more crucial to the Heat's scorching run in February than Adebayo. He led Miami with 22 points per game last month and was fifth in the league in average plus-minus with 12.6. Adebayo was tied 10th in steals per game (1.73) and defensive rebounds (8.2) and ended the month ninth in blocked shots per game (1.55), illustrating his substantial value on the defensive end.

Milwaukee Bucks - Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Bucks have depth that gives them an excellent chance of repeating as champions but, when it comes to games against the elite, all eyes must be on Antetokounmpo.

He took his game to another level in February, averaging 51.3 points/assists/rebounds per game. Only Luka Doncic (53.8) fared better last month.

KEY BATTLE - Can Heat keep possession?

Miami have thrived this season despite often being lackadaisical in possession.

The Heat's turnover rate of 13.5 per cent is the fourth-highest in the NBA and they are facing a Bucks team whose rate of 12.1 per cent is superior to the league average of 12.5.

In other words, if the Heat want to stay hot against one of their main rivals in the East, they must flip the script and take better care of the ball.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Bucks are looking to continue a recent run of dominance in home games with the Heat, having won the last three meetings in Milwaukee.

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."

Tyson Fury has promised he would go to war for England as he praised those attempting to defend Ukraine from Russia's invasion.

The British heavyweight vowed to follow the lead of the likes of brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk if his homeland issues a call to arms.

WBC champion Fury said he would be "first in line" if civilians were to be conscripted.

Vitali Klitschko is mayor of Kyiv, while his brother and fellow former world heavyweight champion Wladimir has joined a territorial defense brigade. Usyk, a reigning world heavyweight champion, has also signed up, as has fellow star boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Fury said in a news conference on Tuesday: "Fantastic. I'll be the first one to join up if England get involved or America. I'll be first in line for the job.

"My dad will as well, me and all the boys will be signing up to defend. So that's what I've got to say.

"If you're from that country and living there, defend it. Love your woman and fight for your country, that's what I say."

Fury puts his WBC heavyweight belt on the line against Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium on April 23.

It remains to be seen when the likes of Usyk and Lomachenko become available to resume their sporting careers

Frank Warren, Fury's co-promoter, said: "Everybody should be absolutely pulling for Ukraine, standing up to the bully, standing up for democracy.

"Those four fighters, everybody should be behind them. It's magnificent what they're doing."

Top seed Camila Giorgi was beaten in three sets by Caroline Garcia at the Lyon Open on Tuesday.

Italian Giorgi battled to take the first set but was pegged back by the home favourite before her game collapsed in a 5-7 6-4 6-0 defeat.

Dominant on serve in the opening set, Giorgi failed to take either of two break points at 3-2 up in the second set. She then won only one point in three consecutive games to allow Garcia to level.

The world number 29 earned just two points on serve in a one-sided decider as Garcia set up a last-16 clash with another Italian, Martina Trevisan.

Earlier, Russian Vera Zvonareva was comfortably beaten by seventh seed Alison van Uytvanck, who could await Garcia in the quarter-finals.

Zhang Shuai beat Kristina Mladenovic 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 to secure a match with Arantxa Rus, who defeated Danka Kovinic for the loss of just two games.

The top-ranked remaining player in the draw, world number 30 Sorana Cirstea, sealed a round-of-16 showdown with Stefanie Voegele after a comfortable 6-3 6-1 defeat of Mariam Bolkvadze.