Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley defended Novak Djokovic, saying the world number one had provided "suggestions", not demands.
With 72 players forced into quarantine for two weeks after being exposed to coronavirus on flights, Djokovic reportedly made demands regarding their conditions.
Among them, the eight-time Australian Open champion reportedly asked for players to be moved to private houses with tennis courts, with his requests rejected.
But Tiley played down the reports, saying Djokovic had simply made suggestions.
"Novak wrote a note, these weren't demands, these were suggestions," he told Channel 9 on Tuesday.
"But he too is understanding what two weeks of lockdown means."
Tiley also backed the players despite reports and social media posts suggesting they were unhappy about being forced into quarantine.
"Last night we spent quite a bit of time with the playing group going through a number of different items because they've just been here for a few days getting used to this quarantine environment," he said.
"I have to say on that call there were about 500 players and the vast majority are happy to be here, pleased to be here and really getting ready in the next two weeks to be able to get out and play in the lead-in events and then play the Australian Open on February 8.
"I think the reports we're reading and the things we're seeing doesn't represent the entire playing group. For the most part, they've been pretty good."
With the preparations of 72 players so far impacted by quarantine, there have been suggestions the Australian Open be changed to a best-of-three sets format in the men's draw.
But Tiley said he had no plans to make such a drastic change.
"We're a grand slam at the end of the day and right now three out of five sets for the men and two out of three sets for the women is the position we plan on sticking to, starting February 8," he said.
It was far from business as usual in the NBA again last week.
A total of 11 games were postponed due to stringent COVID-19 protocols, making it tough for some players and teams to find their rhythm early in the season.
Others have taken full advantage of opportunities presented to them by teams having to go deep into their rosters in order to fulfil fixtures.
We take a look at the players who had the biggest increases and decreases in production over the previous week.
RUNNING HOT…
Shake Milton
The Philadelphie 76ers have seen their roster badly affected by COVID-19 protocols and results over the past week have been a little patchy as a result – a pair of wins over the Miami Heat ended a run of three straight defeats but were followed by a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. One who man stepped up, though, was Milton, who was averaging 14.1 points per game up to January 10. Last week he averaged 29.5 – a difference of 15.4, the highest in the league.
Duncan Robinson
Last season's beaten finalists the Heat are in somewhat of a rut having lost four of their past five to slip to 4-7 for the season. Robinson has done his best to help reverse the fortunes, though, having averaged 23.3 points last week – his improvement of 12.1 from his average at January 10 was second only to Milton. Part of the improvement can be attributed to his prowess from three-point range over with Robinson averaging five per game, compared to 3.1 for the season prior to the week. Team-mate Tyler Herro has also impressed – averaging 25.5 points per game for the week, a +9.9 difference to his average leading into it.
Bruce Brown
With the Brooklyn Nets trading away Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Caris LeVert and Rodions Kurucs – as well as a ton of picks – to acquire James Harden, Brown received greater minutes in Steve Nash's rotation. He shot 8-of-11 from the field for 16 points in a win over the Denver Nuggets and had a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds against the New York Knicks the following day. However, when Kyrie Irving returns, Brown can expect to see a significant reduction in his time on the floor.
Luka Doncic
The Dallas Mavericks star started to find his range from three over the past week, going 5-of-9 from beyond the arc against the Charlotte Hornets and 6-of-11 versus the Chicago Bulls. He averaged four three-point makes per game last week, a significant improvement on his figure of 1.63 on the season he went in with. Doncic also had 16 rebounds and 15 assists against the Bulls to record his 29th triple-double, surpassing the legendary Michael Jordan on the all-time list. However, he ended up on the losing side against Chicago and blamed himself: "That's on me, that game. I was being selfish a little bit because I had 30 points in the first half. That wasn't me in the second half."
GOING COLD...
Fred VanVleet
Four years after going undrafted, VanVleet was rewarded for his role in the Raptors' recent success as he signed a four-year, $85million deal to stay with Toronto ahead of this season. His performances have not yet justified that outlay, however, and the past week was a particularly disappointing one. The struggling Raptors actually enjoyed a minor upturn in form, winning back-to-back games against the Hornets to improve to 4-8, but VanVleet scored just 14 points per game, 8.1 down on his prior season average of 22.1. There was at least some solace in a first double-double of the season as he stacked up 10 assists in the second Hornets game.
Kevin Huerter and De'Andre Hunter
It was not a good week for the Atlanta Hawks, their shock 3-0 start long since forgotten. Three Atlanta players were at least 6.0 points down on their prior scoring average for the year, yet it was the decline in three-point shooting that really stood out. Huerter and Hunter had each impressed from beyond the arc in the early weeks of the campaign, making 2.4 and 2.1 threes per game respectively. But a remarkable drop-off saw both make just two across three games - two of which were defeats - to each average 0.7. It meant the team as a whole made just five threes in the loss to the Utah Jazz and six as they went down to the Portland Trail Blazers.
George Hill
The Oklahoma City Thunder again traded assets for picks ahead of this season but have still managed to operate at .500 so far, beating the Bulls after defeats to the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Hill's outstanding early form is showing signs of tailing off. A new arrival this year, the 34-year-old point guard was outperforming his career average of 1.2 threes made per game heading into the week (1.9) but did not make a single one of his seven attempts from beyond the arc against the Spurs, Lakers or Bulls.
Terrence Ross
After a strong start to the season with the Orlando Magic, Ross went into last week averaging 17.9 points and 2.44 three-pointers made per game. However, in meetings with the Nets, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, he shot 3-of-15 from beyond the arc – an average of just one make per game. It's therefore unsurprising he also suffered one of the biggest decreases in points per game to 11, with 23 of his 33 total points coming against Brooklyn.
Rassie Erasmus says South Africa will "explore any option" to ensure they do not miss out on facing the British and Irish Lions.
The Lions are scheduled to lock horns with the world champions in July and August, but the tour is in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Playing the series in the United Kingdom has been mooted as a potential alternative to the Lions flying out to South Africa.
Delaying the tour until next year could be another alternative and a decision is expected to be made next month, with talks among the Lions board ongoing.
South Africa's director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, who who coached the Springboks to Rugby World Cup glory in 2019, says the Webb Ellis Cup holders are willing to be flexible over where and when they take on the Lions.
"We desperately want to play the Lions, and we will do anything to play them," he said in a press conference.
"This series only comes around every 12 years. I have heard the different calls and opinions about the tour, and although we didn't play in the Rugby Championship because of player welfare, it was also because we knew there was this big series in 2021.
"If option one of playing in South Africa doesn't work out, we will go to option Z to make it happen.
"We don't want to lose out on the Lions series, we feel we deserve to play against them. I want to, Jacques Nienaber [Springboks head coach] wants to, the players want to. So from our side, we'll do anything.
"But yes, we will explore any option to play the Lions, we will play next year, we will play over there. This is the view from a player and management perspective."
A plan in the offseason to get stronger and faster and a healthy dose of self-belief are the foundation to Carrie Russell’s win in the Women’s Monobob Bobsleigh World Series event in Park City, Utah on Sunday.
Russell, 30, a 100m gold medalist at the World University Games in 2011 and 2013 World Championship 4x100m relay champion, produced a combined time of 1:49.08 to defeat American Nicole Vogt (1:49.27) and Brazil’s Marina Silva (1:49.83), who took silver and bronze, respectively.
She said a lot of hard work went into making her season debut a success.
“Well, I created a plan which involved doing some track training at the MVP track club with Coach Stephen Francis and my push coach Wayne Thomas, to ensure my speed and strength are up, and its working,” Russell told Sportsmax.TV shortly after clearing doping control Sunday night.
On her first run on Saturday, Russell attained a top speed of 120.47km/h over the 1.335m course, which saw her post a time of 54.95s. However, on Sunday, she managed to improve her speed to 121.45, which meant an improvement of 0.82s on the time she produced on Saturday.
She explained that it simply came down to using her natural talents to get a better start. On Sunday, she was only 0.03s better than the 5.79s she managed the day before but it translated into a massive difference. On Saturday she was at the first interval in 21.60s. On Sunday, she was 0.11 quicker at 21.49 and let to the massive improvement in time over the course.
“Well, its reviewing the videos and seeing the progress,” she explained.
“And then I got more comfortable trying new stuff. Audra Segree (compatriot bobsledder) and I sat and talked with Coach Wayne about the start. He explained that in order to be ahead and have room to make mistakes you have to get ahead from the beginning which means I need to start fast.
“I understood, so I told myself that I have to run deeper and I know the faster the sleigh is the easier it is to drive. So, I told myself that I am the fastest out there, stronger, and that’s what matters. It’s all in God’s hands after that.”
Russell has three two-woman races coming up from January 21-23 but she is still unsure who will be racing with her.
Nick Kyrgios has labelled Novak Djokovic "a tool" after the world number one reportedly issued a list of demands for players under strict quarantine conditions ahead of the Australian Open.
Defending women's singles champion Sofia Kenin is among 72 players who are consigned to their hotel rooms due to positive coronavirus tests on flights they took to head out for the first grand slam of the year.
Players have posted social media clips of them training and in their rooms, with some complaining about the conditions they are having to contend with for 14 days.
Bernard Tomic's girlfriend, Vanessa Sierra, expressed her grievances over the standard of food and having to wash her own hair and dishes during her period of quarantine with the world number 228 so far.
Djokovic does not have to adhere to such strict rules in Adelaide, where he is due to play in an exhibition tournament before the Melbourne major, as he arrived on a virus-free flight.
Yet the 17-time grand slam champion is said to have asked for less time in isolation for players, requested they are given private housing with access to training courts, and better food.
Kyrgios tweeted on Monday: "Djokovic is a tool. I don't mind Bernie [Tomic] but his Mrs obviously has no perspective, ridiculous scenes Man."
Three weeks before the Australian Open is due to get underway, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said the players will not be getting any "special treatment."
He said: "The virus doesn't treat you specially, so neither do we.
"I know there's been a bit of chatter from a number of players about the rules.
"The rules apply to them as they apply to everybody else and they were all briefed on that before they came and that was the condition on which they came. So, there's no special treatment here."
Paul George believes the Los Angeles Clippers have found the right formula for success after stretching their winning run to four games with victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Despite being without Lou Williams and Serge Ibaka on Sunday, the Clippers eased to a 129-96 triumph that improves their record to 10-4 this season.
George was one of seven players to reach double figures for points, Marcus Morris Sr and Luke Kennard also matching the six-time NBA All-Star's tally of 20.
The Clippers sit behind Los Angeles rivals the Lakers in the Western Conference standings and, after a difficult 2019-20 season that ended with a playoff collapse to the Denver Nuggets, they are "locked in" for this campaign, according to George.
"The chemistry is amazing," he said after the win over the Pacers, according to quotes on ESPN.
"It's a real bond. It's fun, with this team, it's locked in, we are together; it is one of the best locker rooms I have been around and been in.
"Hopefully, you guys see it, just how well we are meshing.
"We are going to continue to build off of that. We like where we are at and like where we are heading, we want to see this thing play all the way through."
Following the signings of George and fellow superstar Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers were considered among the title favourites last year.
An all-Los Angeles Western Conference Finals appeared on the cards when the Clippers led the Nuggets 3-1 in their series in the Orlando bubble, only to then lose three games on the spin and crash out of the postseason.
Morris was part of that roster but sees differences now, insisting all those on the team are working in the same direction.
"I feel like our energy is way better this season," Morris said. "Guys are buying in and enjoying playing the game."
The Clippers appeared in danger of letting slip a big lead against the Pacers, who pulled within two points of their opponents early in the third quarter.
However, the home team responded with a 37-14 run, moving clear as they coasted to victory. They are back in action on Wednesday, taking on the Sacramento Kings.
The New York Knicks routed the Boston Celtics 105-75 in a stunning upset in the NBA on Sunday.
Julius Randle (20 points and 12 rebounds) and RJ Barrett (19 points and 11 rebounds) came up big to help the Knicks snap a five-game losing streak.
The Celtics had the best record in the Eastern Conference following five successive wins, but the hosts suffered their biggest loss of the season and had their lowest scoring output in 2020-21.
Luka Doncic posted his 29th career triple-double in the Dallas Mavericks' 117-101 defeat against the Chicago Bulls.
The All-Star moved above Bulls and NBA great Michael Jordan and into 15th position on the all-time triple-double list after finishing with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists.
Doncic put up the fourth 35-plus point, 15-plus rebound and 15-plus assist game in NBA history, while he joined Oscar Robertson (five times), Wilt Chamberlain (1968) and James Harden (2016) as the only players with that stat line.
Career-high night for Fox
The Sacramento Kings lost 128-123 at home to the New Orleans Pelicans, but De'Aaron Fox posted a career-high 43 points and 13 assists. Sacramento team-mate Marvin Bagley III also had a double-double of 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Nikola Jokic (35 points and 14 rebounds) and Jamal Murray (30 points) combined for 65 points, but the Denver Nuggets still went down 109-105 to the Utah Jazz.
Walker returns but struggles
Kemba Walker made his season debut after missing the opening 11 games of the 2020-21 campaign due to injury. But the Celtics star was just three of 13 from the field and one of eight from three-point range for nine points in 20 minutes before exiting in the third quarter with a rib problem. Boston team-mate Semi Ojeleye attempted six shots from beyond the arc, however, he missed all of them.
Zion flexes his muscles
Former number one draft pick Zion Williamson put on a show. The Pelicans star had 31 points on 13-of-15 shooting from the field, including a couple of monster dunks.
Sunday's results
New York Knicks 105-75 Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls 117-101 Dallas Mavericks
Utah Jazz 109-105 Denver Nuggets
New Orleans Pelicans 128-123 Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Clippers 129-96 Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers-Washington Wizards (postponed)
Philadelphia 76ers-Oklahoma City Thunder (postponed)
Bucks at Nets
James Harden will look to follow up his historic debut when the Brooklyn Nets (8-6) host reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks (9-4) on Monday.
Luka Doncic surpassed Michael Jordan in the NBA history books with a triple-double but he took the blame for the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Doncic posted his 29th career triple-double, however, the Mavericks still went down 117-101 against the Bulls on Sunday.
All-Star Doncic moved above Bulls and NBA great Jordan and into 15th position on the all-time triple-double list after finishing with 36 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists.
Doncic put up the fourth 35-plus point, 15-plus rebound and 15-plus assist game in NBA history, while he joined Oscar Robertson (five times), Wilt Chamberlain (1968) and James Harden (2016) as the only players with that stat line.
However, Dallas star Doncic was not happy after the Mavericks suffered back-to-back defeats.
"The second half, I played terrible… I was being selfish a bit I think, because I had 30 points in the first half," Doncic told reporters.
"That wasn't me in the second half. I've got to do way better than that. That's just on me. I shouldn't be doing this."
Doncic added: "I was just taking some shots I shouldn't be taking. Just have to do way better than this. As a team, we have to step up, especially defensively and bring the energy."
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said: "The stats are spectacular. It's phenomenal.
"But without a win, he won't be happy with it either."
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving could make his long-awaited return after being listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Irving has missed the Nets' past six games due to personal reasons, while he sat out Saturday's win over the Orlando Magic due to the NBA's health and safety protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It came after the NBA fined Irving $50,000 and docked the six-time All-Star over $800,000 in salary for the two games missed while in quarantine after video footage emerged of him appearing to attend a family birthday party without a mask.
The 2016 NBA champion, though, is now nearing a Nets return as he prepares to link up with superstar team-mates Kevin Durant and James Harden.
"Hopefully, we're close," Nets head coach Nash said after beating the Magic. "I can't really give you a firm update on that. We have to assess that as we go. We do want to make sure he ramps accordingly so that he's not susceptible to unnecessary injury and protect him the best we can.
"But hopefully, it will be a short period of time. That is to be determined, though."
Harden – acquired from the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster trade on Thursday – became the first player in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double in his debut for a new team after title contenders the Nets outlasted the Magic 122-115.
Former MVP Harden finished with 32 points, a franchise-record 14 assists, 12 rebounds and four steals.
Reuniting with ex-Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Harden, Durant led the way with a game-high 42 points as the Nets improved to 8-6 following a third consecutive win.
Durant also made franchise history for most consecutive 25-plus point games with nine.
The Philadelphia 76ers-Oklahoma City Thunder matchup has been postponed due to ongoing coronavirus contact tracing, the NBA announced.
Philadelphia (9-5) and Oklahoma City (6-6) were scheduled to meet at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Sunday, but the 76ers did not have the required eight players available because of contact tracing with the team.
It comes after Memphis Grizzlies star Jonas Valanciunas entered the NBA's health and safety protocols ahead of Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns, having upstaged the 76ers on Saturday.
The 76ers and their depth have been tested since Seth Curry contracted COVID-19 on January 7.
Philadelphia were still forced to face the Denver Nuggets with eight players on January 9, though Mike Scott did not take to the floor due to injury.
Doc Rivers and the 76ers – who are scheduled to play Eastern Conference rivals the Boston Celtics on Wednesday and Friday – used just nine players in the 106-104 defeat at the Grizzlies.
Jamaica’s Carrie Russell won the Women’s Monobob World Series Bobsleigh event in Park City Utah today.
Russell, the 30-year-old former sprinter, finished third on Saturday after completing the 1.335km track in 54.95s. She was 0.39s behind leader Nicole Vogt of the United States.
However, she rebounded today producing a 54.13s run for a combined time of 1:49.08 to take the gold medal and relegating Vogt to second. Vogt had a combined time of 1:49.27.
The victory today was due largely to better execution wherein Russell attained a top speed of 121.45 km/h, an improvement on the 120.47km/h achieved on Saturday. Vogt attained a top speed of 122km/h on Saturday but was much slower today at 120.78 km/h.
The bronze medal went to Marina Silva of Brazil whose combined time was 1:49.83. Silva finished second on Saturday.
Russell has been in Utah since New Year’s Day for the start of the season. She will compete in a two-woman event in the coming week before the competition moves to Lake Placid.
Rafael Stone insisted James Harden's comments after two losses to the Los Angeles Lakers did not impact the Houston Rockets' trade plans.
Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets days after saying he had done everything he could in Houston.
After back-to-back losses to the Lakers, the eight-time All-Star also said: "This situation is crazy. It's something that I don't think can be fixed."
But Stone said Harden's comments, which drew criticism from team-mates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, were irrelevant to the Rockets' plans.
"They did not affect me at all. In a trade there are multiple parties so I have no idea if it affected other teams," Stone told a news conference on Sunday.
"But I can guarantee you it did not affect us."
The Rockets acquired Victor Oladipo from the Pacers, sending former Nets guard Caris LeVert to Indiana.
As part of the Nets trade that involved the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston also brought in Rodions Kurucs and Dante Exum, plus four first-round picks, to go with four first-round pick swaps.
Stone is happy with the deal the Rockets ended up with as he lauded two-time All-Star Oladipo.
"I don't think it's appropriate to talk about the other deals," Stone said.
"I would say what is super exciting about this deal is it gives us flexibility and in the NBA, picks, especially high picks, are the best currency. Everybody likes them, everybody values them, so that was great organisationally, it gave us flexibility to do different types of deals as they come up this year, next year, whatever.
"We were able to get Victor Oladipo as part of it along with Rodi and Dante, but Victor is a guy we're really excited about. I think he's excited to be here and we think he's very talented so that was not insignificant from our perspective."
The Rockets hold a 4-7 record this season and are 14th in the Western Conference.
Kemba Walker is available to play for the first time this season and could feature for up to 20 minutes for the Boston Celtics against the New York Knicks.
Walker has not appeared since the Celtics' Eastern Conference Finals defeat to the Miami Heat in Orlando last year.
The former Charlotte Hornets point guard has been working on strengthening his left knee in an attempt to avoid any further lay-offs in the remainder of the campaign.
Knee soreness contributed to Walker missing 16 of Boston's 72 regular season games in 2019-20, his first year after leaving Charlotte, so the team are hoping to avoid a repeat.
Walker was listed as questionable this week for the first time all season and was then upgraded to available on Sunday ahead of the game at TD Garden at 1300 ET.
Coach Brad Stevens subsequently confirmed Walker would have a restriction of around 20 minutes.
The 8-3 Celtics are still without Jayson Tatum, among others, due to NBA health and safety protocols in the aftermath of the team's coronavirus crisis.
Boston had three consecutive games postponed and their practices cancelled - contributing to Walker's delayed return - before beating the Orlando Magic 124-97 on Friday.
Walker averaged 20.4 points per game last season, trailing only Tatum (23.4) for the Celtics, while also contributing 4.8 assists, behind just Marcus Smart (4.9).
The 30-year-old's scoring dropped slightly to 19.6 in the postseason - putting Tatum (25.7) and Jaylen Brown (21.8) ahead of him - but he led the team in playoff assists with 5.1 per game.
Alpine have appointed Davide Brivio, the former boss of MotoGP team Suzuki Ecstar, as their racing director.
Renault announced the departure of team principal Cyril Abiteboul on Monday ahead of their rebrand to Alpine for the 2021 Formula One campaign, and now they have added new blood.
Brivio was linked to F1 after quitting his post with Suzuki Ecstar, who won the team and rider championships in last year's MotoGP season.
An Alpine statement read: "Davide Brivio joins Alpine F1 Team as racing director.
"We are delighted to confirm Davide Brivio will strengthen our team ahead of the 2021 Formula One season. His specific role and responsibilities will be announced in the coming weeks.
"Davide will report to the Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi.
"Davide joins Alpine F1 Team with a wealth of experience and success following more than 20 years in the MotoGP world championship.
"We look forward to welcoming Davide as we start the next stage of our Formula One journey."
Alpine's driver line-up is made up of Frenchman Esteban Ocon and former two-time champion Fernando Alonso.
A further 25 players have been forced into hard lockdown for two weeks prior to the Australian Open, tournament organisers have confirmed.
Tennis' season-opening grand slam was plunged into crisis on Saturday when it was announced 47 players would be consigned to their hotel rooms for 14 days and not eligible to practise.
Officials said the protocols were as a result of two passengers testing positive for coronavirus on a flight from Los Angeles that arrived on Friday morning, along with another passenger who flew in from Abu Dhabi.
That affected 24 players aboard the LA flight and 23 on the plane from Abu Dhabi, while another positive test for a passenger arriving in Melbourne from Doha on Saturday morning has taken the total number of players affected to 72.
A statement from the Australian Open read: "One positive COVID-19 test has been returned from a passenger on a charter flight into Melbourne from Doha which arrived at 5.30am on January 16.
"The passenger is not a member of the playing contingent and had tested negative before the flight.
"There were 58 passengers on the flight, including 25 players. All are already in quarantine hotels.
"The 25 players on the flight will not be able to leave their hotel room for 14 days and until they are medically cleared. They will not be eligible to practise."
About 1,200 players and staff have been arriving in Melbourne on sparsely populated aeroplanes ahead of the delayed Australian Open, which is due to get under way on February 8.
Speaking on Saturday, Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley insisted the tournament would be going ahead despite the chaos and the lack of preparation time for many of the playing contingent.
"It's not something we wanted to happen," he told The Today Show. "We were hoping every flight would be okay. We're in this situation, we have to deal with it.
"The Australian Open is going ahead and we'll continue to do the best we can possibly do to ensure those players, who are not in a great position, find it somewhat acceptable.
"We're planning on February 8, we do have that buffer time in there. We're looking forward to welcoming fans to the Australian Open.
"Ticket sales have been going well, we've got two weeks of great tennis and our intention is to continue with those dates."
Khabib Nurmagomedov could be tempted to make a comeback if a lightweight rival impresses him at UFC 257, Dana White has revealed.
The undefeated Khabib announced his retirement after beating Justin Gaethje to unify the lightweight division at UFC 254 last year, his first outing since the death of his father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
However, White raised the prospect that the Russian may return for one more bout - if he likes what he sees out of a potential opponent next week.
That includes former foes Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, who meet in the main event on Fight Island. Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler do battle on the same bill, with the winner potentially coming under consideration.
Charles Oliveira is also an option, having apparently grabbed Khabib's attention during his victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 in December.
"The thing with him is, when you make the decision to retire, I knew he made the decision under unbelievable emotional stress," White told the media after Max Holloway's victory over Calvin Kattar in Abu Dhabi.
"His dad had died, he got hurt during that camp and couldn't train right, couldn't cut weight right. All the things he went through and then he went out and performed how he performed, then made that decision that night.
"Listen, you're not tying anything up. Go home, spend some time with your family. Heal up, think about it.
"Then he and I got together, and he said: 'I want to see if somebody really blows me away and impresses me next week'.
"You've got the co-main event and the main event, while Oliveira looked awesome against Tony Ferguson - that's an interesting fight for him.
"We will see what these guys do this weekend. I think it's fun - do you guys not want to see Khabib fight again? Hopefully, he sticks around and does one more."
However, White made clear that Georges St-Pierre is not on the shortlist of potential opponents.
"No, GSP never came up. He's not interested in that fight and, from what I hear today, neither is GSP. That's over," he said.
James Harden made NBA history on his Brooklyn Nets debut after dazzling with a triple-double in the 122-115 win against the Orlando Magic.
Harden became the first player in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double in his bow for a new team after the Nets outlasted the Magic on Saturday.
Former MVP Harden – who swapped the Houston Rockets for the Nets in a blockbuster trade on Thursday – finished with 32 points, a franchise-record 14 assists, 12 rebounds and four steals.
The eight-time All-Star also became the seventh player in NBA history with a triple-double in their team debut, joining Russell Westbrook, Elfrid Payton, Lewis Lloyd, John Shumate, Nate Thurmond and Oscar Robertson.
Reuniting with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Harden, Durant led the way with a game-high 42 points as the Nets improved to 8-6 following a third consecutive win.
Durant also made franchise history for most consecutive 25-plus point games with nine.
Lillard inspires Blazers
Damian Lillard had a game-high 36 points as the Portland Trail Blazers topped the Atlanta Hawks 112-106. Double-doubles from Trae Young (26 points and 11 assists) and Clint Capela (25 points and 15 rebounds) were not enough for the visiting Hawks.
Shake Milton put up 28 points off the bench in the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers' narrow 106-104 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Ben Simmons fell just short of a triple-double after recording 11 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.
Christian Wood scored 24 points and collected 18 rebounds as the shorthanded Rockets went down 103-91 to the San Antonio Spurs.
Derrick Rose was efficient in the Detroit Pistons' 120-100 upset of the Miami Heat. He was eight-of-12 shooting from the field, while making three of his five three-point attempts for 23 points in 21 minutes.
Covington struggles
While the Trail Blazers won, Robert Covington failed to get going shooting-wise after collecting 10 rebounds. He was one-of-13 from the field and just one-of-seven from beyond the arc for three points in 28 minutes.
A championship winner with the Los Angeles Lakers last season, veteran Rajon Rondo was scoreless for the Hawks. Rondo missed all three of his field-goal attempts in nine minutes of action.
Morant returns in style
Ja Morant sprained his ankle on December 28 but the Grizzlies star made his comeback following an eight-game absence. Morant had 17 points, including this alley-oop.
Saturday's results
San Antonio Spurs 103-91 Houston Rockets
Brooklyn Nets 122-115 Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors 116-113 Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons 120-100 Miami Heat
Memphis Grizzlies 106-104 Philadelphia 76ers
Portland Trail Blazers 112-106 Atlanta Hawks
Indiana Pacers-Phoenix Suns (postponed)
Pacers at Clippers
The Indiana Pacers (8-4) will visit the in-form Los Angeles Clippers (9-4) – who have won three straight games – on Sunday.
Brooklyn Nets superstar James Harden revelled in his record-setting debut, while head coach Steve Nash heaped praise on the former NBA MVP.
Harden became the first player in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double in his bow for a new team after the Nets outlasted the Orlando Magic 122-115 on Saturday.
Eight-time All-Star Harden swapped the Houston Rockets for the Nets in a blockbuster trade on Thursday, and his first game in a Brooklyn jersey resulted in 32 points, a franchise-record 14 assists, 12 rebounds and four steals.
Afterwards, Harden said: "It felt really good [to get the win]. The guys got after it.
"Individually, I've got to stop turning the basketball over, but that comes with chemistry, that comes with practice, that comes with watching film.
"So, first game I'm glad to get a win and we've just got to keep going."
On the record, Harden was asked what it meant, and he told YES: "Nothing, I'm just happy we came away with the win. Those stats don't mean anything."
"When you're paying with really, really good players, it's pretty easy," Harden said. "For me, I just gotta learn reads, learn where guys like the ball, just learn our personnel individually so once I get that, the turnovers will cut down, I can be more efficient."
Disgruntled in Houston as he eyed an exit from the Rockets, Harden arrived in Brooklyn out of form, but the sharpshooter showed what the Nets are getting in a super team that also consists of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Harden was eight-of-18 from the field and three-of-10 shooting from three-point range in 40 minutes, while he also had nine turnovers.
First-year coach Nash, who now leads a genuine championship contender, hailed Harden post-game.
"I can't say I'm surprised," Nash said. "We had a pretty big simple size of him doing that [for] however many years in he's been in the league. But it's still not easy. He's still not in his best condition yet, he's joined a new group.
"Basically no practice time, and figured it out on the fly. He had a bunch of turnovers just because he's new to the team and the group and you’re thrown out there in an NBA where the other team is an excellent coached-basketball team....But all the things he did on the floor were incredible for his first game."
Reuniting with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Harden, Durant led the way with a game-high 42 points as the Nets improved to 8-6 following a third consecutive win.
Durant also made franchise history for most consecutive 25-plus point games with nine.
"James, he played the same way he always played, to be honest," Durant said. "He played the same way he was playing in Houston, being a pass-first guard, trying to get guys good looks. He played the same way.
"Coach put him at the point, I think that's his natural position, is point and combo guard. For him to get 14 assists, 12 rebounds for us at the point guard was key."
James Harden made NBA history in his first game for the Brooklyn Nets, who held on beat to the Orlando Magic 122-115.
Harden landed in Brooklyn on Thursday to join fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving following a blockbuster trade with the Houston Rockets.
Former MVP Harden did not disappoint on debut for the Nets on Saturday after becoming the first player in NBA history to post a 30-point triple-double in his bow for a new team.
Harden – an eight-time All-Star – finished with 32 points, a franchise-record 14 assists, 12 rebounds and four steals for championship contenders the Nets.
Durant, who has reunited with former Oklahoma City Thunder team-mate Harden, led the way with a game-high 42 points as the Nets improved to 8-6 following a third consecutive win.
Two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP Durant also made franchise history for most consecutive 25-plus point games with nine.
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