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.

Naomi Osaka has been handed a difficult first round draw against 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens upon her return to the WTA Tour at Indian Wells which starts on Wednesday.

Four-time major winner Osaka has not played competitively since her 2022 Australian Open third-round exit to Amanda Anisimova in January.

The Japanese, whose ranking has dropped to 78th, had been handed a wild card for Indian Wells but was upgraded to the main draw after Camila Giorgi's withdrawal.

The Indian Wells draw was made on Monday with Osaka to face Stephens who won her first WTA title since 2018 with last month's Abierto Zapopan crown.

The top seeds all have been waived through to the second round with top seeds Barbora Krejcikova and Aryna Sabalenka book-ending the draw.

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.

Leylah Fernandez saved five championship points before converting her first to successfully defend her title at the Monterrey Open over Camila Osorio on Sunday.

Last year's US Open runner-up Fernandez triumphed in two hours and 52 minutes over the Colombian fourth seed winning 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).

The Canadian second seed held her nerve after a 15-minute delay due to a light failure inside the stadium upon Osorio's fifth championship point. Fernandez won the next three points upon the resumption to force a tiebreak which she won.

The triumph is 19-year-old Fernandez's second WTA title, both in Monterrey, having lost the Mexican Open final in 2020 as well as at Flushing Meadows to Emma Raducanu last year.

Osorio, 20, was chasing her second WTA title but will be left to rue missed opportunities, converting only four of her 15 break points for the match.

The reigning champion had led 4-1 in the opening set before Osorio fought back to win the set in a tie-break.

Fernandez again led 4-1 in the second set before Osorio responded with a break, but the Canadian steadied to level the match.

Osorio broke Fernandez in the fourth game of the final set and also led 4-1 before the popular 19-year-old leveled at 4-4.

The Colombian failed to convert her first championship point on Fernandez's serve at 40-30 when up 5-4, as well as four more opportunities on the Canadian's serve at 6-5. Fernandez was ruthless in the tie-break, swooping on her first championship point.

Zhang Shuai secured her third career title as she battled past Dayana Yastremska in a Lyon Open final thriller on Sunday.

Ukrainian Yastremska fled her hometown of Odessa last month amid the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and embarked on an emotional run throughout this tournament.

Yastremska credited the support she received from across the globe as a motivating factor for her success after reaching the final, where she could not get the better of eighth seed Zhang.

China's Zhang had not lost a set all week, though she did falter as world number 128 Yastremska claimed the first set before succumbing 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Yastremska, 21, was twice two games ahead in the deciding set, at 2-0 and 4-2 up, but Zhang reeled off four straight games to take the trophy.

Zhang was keen to credit her opponent after the match, saying: "Big congrats to Dayana and her team for working so hard.

"I know it's a tough time for you, but you are a fighter, you play unbelievable tennis. You are the best. For sure, you will win a lot of tournaments. Keep going."

Yastremska announced she would donate her prize money to a charity to provide aid back home, saying: "If Ukrainian people are watching me, you guys are so strong, you have an amazing spirit.

"I try to fight for Ukraine and I want to say thanks to every single person for standing by us and showing everyone we have a really strong spirit."

Leylah Fernandez's title defence at the Monterrey Open remains on track after progressing through to the final where she will face Camila Osorio.

The Canadian second seed, who reached last year's US Open final, comfortably accounted for Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-1 6-4 on Saturday.

Fernandez triumphed in one hour and 12 minutes, even as Haddad Maia took a medical timeout in the second set.

The 2021 US Open runner-up was exceptional on first serve, making 77.6 per cent, while she was not broken once throughout the match, taking three of her four break points.

Colombian fifth seed Osorio defeated sixth seed Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes.

Osorio's triumph means she qualifier for her third WTA Tour singles final, having claimed her only title in Bogota last year.

Dayana Yastremska says she did not expect the support she has received on her run to the final of the Lyon Open after edging second seed Sorana Cirstea in a three-set semi-final thriller.

The Ukrainian was forced to flee her home in Odessa last month amid the escalation of the Ukraine-Russia crisis and has embarked on an emotional run through this week's tournament.

Yet the 21-year-old wildcard admitted she has been overwhelmed by the support from across the globe amid her winning streak, crediting them for their help in her 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-4 victory on Saturday.

"It was a really tough match," Yastremska said. "In the third set, when I had match points and I lost that game, I was a bit crazy. I thought, I'm done, I've lost, because I don't have any more power.

"Then everybody was supporting me, and I felt like, 'you can do it'. I got a lot of messages from French people and from all over the world. But when I arrived here, I didn't expect I would get that huge support."

Yastremska will face Zhang Shuai in Sunday's final, after the Chinese eighth seed defeated French home favourite Caroline Garcia 6-2 7-5.

For Yastremska, it will be her first final since losing to Ash Barty in Adelaide at the start of 2020 – her only previous tournament success came in Strasbourg the year before.

Roger Federer says he hopes to return to action by the end of the summer, with his recovery from knee surgery likely to rule the 20-time grand slam winner out of Wimbledon.

The 40-year-old underwent surgery on his right knee for the third time last August, and has missed five of the last seven grand slams.

Federer made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon last year, but coach Severin Luthi recently said that he "can't imagine" the eight-time Wimbledon winner featuring in London this summer.

Federer has now provided an update on his recovery to Swiss broadcaster SRF, saying that the end of summer or start of autumn is a realistic target for his return, which could mean he is back for the US Open that starts on August 29.

However, he feels "positive" about his return to the court whenever that comes.

"It will certainly be a while," Federer said. "The end of the summer, early autumn, [that's] where I'm aiming for a comeback.

"It's [the knee] fine. Much better. Obviously, I was on crutches for two months, so you have to start from the bottom.

"It [the surgery] was certainly the right thing to do, the knee wasn't right after Wimbledon [last year], so it couldn't go on.

"Currently I'm in three parts. First, the whole rehab, getting back on your feet at the beginning. Then afterwards, learning to walk and building up the whole thing.

"It's only now where I'm at the phase where I can start thinking about my comeback. I had a very good MRI a few weeks ago, which makes me feel very positive."

Federer's tally of 20 career Grand Slam titles was surpassed by Rafael Nadal in January's Australian Open, and the duo are set, fitness permitting, to team up to represent Europe in the Laver Cup, which takes place in September.

The timeline for Federer's recovery also means that he will miss the second slam of 2022, May's French Open at Rolland Garros.

Elina Svitolina saw her hopes of delivering an emotional title for Ukraine ended by Camila Osorio in a tough quarter-final loss at the Monterrey Open.

Top seed Svitolina wore the yellow and blue colours of her home country, which has come under attack from Russia's military in the past fortnight.

However, the former world number three could not capitalise on a fast start, or a big lead in the deciding set, as she slipped to a 1-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5) defeat in two hours and 33 minutes.

Svitolina held a 4-1 lead in the third set, but 20-year-old Colombian Osorio recovered the double break to edge out the 2020 champion, sealing the win in a deciding tie-break.

That was the third tight three-set battle of the day, with Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia earlier scoring a 4-6 6-4 7-6 (9-7) win over Marie Bouzkova, and Nuria Parrizas Diaz achieving a 6-3 1-6 6-4 victory in an all-Spanish clash with Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Parrizas Dias will face Osorio in Saturday's semi-finals, while Haddad Maia faces a tussle with US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, who was a late-night 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 winner against China's Wang Qiang.

Former Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky is "pretty sure" he is on a Russian army target list after leaving his family to take up arms in defence of his country.

Stakhovsky, 36, recently returned to Kyiv to be part of the armed resistance following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The attack started last Thursday and it has continued since, with Ukrainian civilians subsequently arming themselves to fight for their country.

Stakhovsky has been especially active with media duties in the past few days, and as such he believes himself to be a marked man for speaking out against Vladimir Putin and Russia.

But the 36-year-old said he has been driven by a moral compass to fight the Russian forces despite having no formal military training.

He told Stats Perform: "You have to be scared. I mean, if you don't [get] scared then you're stupid, I guess. Then of course, you need to calculate all the circumstances and everything that could come out of it.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure that I'm on a nice list of the Russian army to, not be really – let's say – treated well. But it is what it is.

"Russia is a dictatorship state. If you show resistance, if you show that you don't agree with what they do, if you show that you don't want to have them here, they put you to the ground.

"They don't really argue with you. It's a state which is controlled by one man and the system is so rotten that it just eats up everybody who is not willing, who is actually expressing a different mind.

"So of course, it is scary, it is unpleasant. But... I can be scared in any part of the world. It's not going to change anything."

Stakhovsky, a father of three, felt he had an obligation to return to Kyiv to fight rather than stay with his family.

But he accepts there is only so much Ukrainians can do with the love, prayers and support of the world, urging politicians to do more without selling Ukraine out, convinced surrender will doom many more for speaking out.

"I wouldn't want any father to make that choice [to fight] or to make the decision anytime, anywhere in the world," he continued. "It's something that you don't really want to do. It's not, there's no right choice.

"In this case, I have three kids, which I have to raise, and I have to look after and I want to enjoy them finally, after finishing my career. And instead of that I'm here in Kyiv with a gun and trying to prove a point that Russia is doing the wrong thing.

"Yes, I'm morally right, 100 per cent and all of Ukraine is right. Russia is at fault, but the whole world just seems not to… well, the people of the world they care. They care and they send their appreciation, their love and their prayers and their support, but it's not going to do justice.

"The politicians are the main players in this whole area, and if they don't step up, if they don't save lives – because after all, the most important part in all of it in life is life itself – if they have a chance to save everything starting from tomorrow, they should.

"But they should not on terms that [mean] we give up [in] Ukraine and we save lives [by surrendering], because that's killing lives because then after they surrender Ukraine, the Russian machine will find every single individual who was in the resistance, who was willing to fight, and they will kill him, or put him in prison, they will poison him, they would kill him, it doesn't matter how, but they will find a way to get rid of these people.

"And we're talking about more hundreds and thousands of people. Russia these days is a Soviet Union of the Stalin era. It's a machine which is killing people."

Dayana Yastremska maintained her emotional run at the Lyon Open by beating fifth seed Jasmine Paolini in straight sets to book a semi-final spot. 

The Ukrainian wildcard secured her place in the last four on Friday with a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory over the Italian amid the war with Russia in her home country. 

The 21-year-old fled Odessa with her sister last week, separating from her parents in the process, and has spoken about her desire to honour those back in Ukraine with a title. 

She will face second seed Sorana Cirstea after the Romanian made short work of Anna Bondar with a 6-3 6-3 victory. 

Elsewhere, Caroline Garcia toppled another seed after fighting back to beat Alison van Uytvanck 4-6 6-3 7-5. The home favourite knocked out top seed Camila Giorgi in the first round and has a semi-final clash against Zhang Shuai to look forward to. 

Zhang did not have to sweat to make her place after Vitalia Diatchenko was forced to retire at three games down in the first set through injury. 

Ukrainian top seed Elina Svitolina was made to work hard but triumphed in more than two hours against Viktoriya Tomova as she booked her Monterrey Open quarter-final spot on Thursday.

Svitolina won 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-2 over the Bulgarian qualifier in two hours and 24 minutes, having trailed 2-0 in the final set, before rattling off the final six games to set up a last-eight meeting with fifth seed Camila Osorio.

The Ukrainian won the title at Monterrey in 2020, with her victory on Thursday maintaining her unbeaten record at the event.

"It was an extremely tough match today," Svitolina said during her on-court post-match interview. "I think Viktoriya played a really good match, and I had to really fight back in the third set to bring back my best game and try to come back in the match.

"In the end, I managed to win six games in a row, so it's a good effort for me. It was an extremely tough first set, second set didn't go my way, and then the third set I was 0-2 down. I was not playing my best, but I was fighting, until the very end.

"And you know, the Ukrainian flag [in the crowd] really helped me today to fight... I was really fighting until the end, and I found my game in the end."

Last week's beaten WTA Abierto Zapopan finalist Marie Bouzkova maintained her good form with a 6-4 6-2 victory over Petra Martic.

Sixth seed Nuria Parrizas-Diaz won 6-4 7-6 (7-2) over Briton Heather Watson, while Wang Qiang defeated Mayar Sherif 6-0 6-7 (2-7) 6-3.