Goran Ivanisevic says Novak Djokovic has not given up hope of competing at the Miami Open this month.

The 22-time grand slam champion withdrew from Indian Wells on Monday as he is unable to play in the United States.

As he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, Djokovic had applied for special permission to enter the USA, but was not given the green light.

While the 35-year-old is in the draw for the Miami Open, he may have to withdraw again despite the United States Tennis Association and US Open expressing their hope he would be allowed to feature.

Djokovic wants to play in a tournament that starts on March 22, his coach Ivanisevic confirmed, and pressed for a swift decision on the issue.

"We haven't given up. He wants to play and I would love it if they allow him – it would be great both for him and for tennis," he told Tennis Majors.

"If not, it's not the end of the world, he didn’t play last year as well. The most important thing is that we find out soon, so that we can make a plan.

"Although, in terms of preparing for the European clay court season, I'm not sure playing in Miami is the best solution. It depends on Novak – in the past he has triumphed in Monte Carlo having played in Indian Wells and Miami.

"If he is mentally ready and in his fighter mode, like he was in Australia, then anything is possible."

West Indies Captain Hayley Matthews produced another fine all-round display to help the Mumbai Indians defeat the Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in their Tata Women's Premier League match at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on Thursday.

The Capitals were restricted to 105 all out off 18 overs after winning the toss and batting first.

Captain Meg Lanning led the way with 43 while Jemimah Rodrigues made 25 as English pacer Issy Wong took 3-10 from her four overs.

Left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque bowled three overs for her 3-13 while Matthews took her second consecutive three-wicket haul with 3-19 from her four overs.

With the bat, Mumbai needed just 15 overs to reach 109-2 and secure their third straight dominant win.

Yastika Bhatia top-scored with a 32-ball 41 including eight fours while Matthews made 32 off 31 balls including six fours.

Scores: Delhi Capitals 105 off 18 overs (Meg Lanning 43, Jemimah Rodrigues 25, Issy Wong 3-10, Saika Ishaque 3-13, Hayley Matthews 3-19) Mumbai Indians 109-2 off 15 overs (Yastika Bhatia 41, Hayley Matthews 32, Nat Sciver-Brunt 23*).

 

Warren Gatland told Wales to "be brave" as he made six changes to his starting XV for Saturday's Six Nations tussle with fellow strugglers Italy.

The match in Rome, a likely Wooden Spoon decider, will see Rhys Webb make his first Test start since October 2020, stepping in at scrum-half to replace Tomos Williams.

Rio Dyer replaces wing Louis Rees-Zammit, who Gatland backed to be a useful impact replacement, with full-back Liam Williams also coming in.

Dafydd Jenkins, Jac Morgan and Wyn Jones come into the pack, with former captain Alun Wyn Jones among those missing out.

After defeats to Ireland, Scotland and England, head coach Gatland is determined Wales give a better account of themselves against the Azzurri at Stadio Olimpico.

Gatland said: "We feel that having watched Italy and how they'll tend to play from everywhere, including their own 22, getting guys on the ball is going to be pretty important.

"We've been disappointed with the results so far and for me it's hard to take as it's the first time I've lost three games in the Six Nations with Wales. We've had a lot of things going on off the field as well, but there are no excuses.

"The message to the players has been that we have to be smart in terms of the way we play, but we've also got to be brave and make sure that when the opportunities are on we shift the ball. We have to keep scanning and looking at options and if there's a chance to move the ball then be brave and do that."

Teams:

Italy: Tommaso Allan, Edoardo Padovani, Juan Ignacio Brex,Tommaso Menoncello, Pierre Bruno, Paolo Garbisi, Stephen Varney; Danilo Fischetti, Giacomo Nicotera, Simone Ferrari, Niccolo Cannon, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (captain), Lorenzo Cannon.

Replacements: Luca Bigi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, Edoardo Iachizzi, Giovanni Pettinelli, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi.

Wales: Liam Williams, Josh Adams, Mason Grady, Joe Hawkins, Rio Dyer, Owen Williams, Rhys Webb; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens (captain), Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Dafydd Jenkins, Jac Morgan, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Gareth Thomas, Dillon Lewis, Rhys Davies, Tommy Reffell, Tomos Williams, George North, Louis Rees-Zammit.

Harry Kane says a top-four Premier League finish will not make Tottenham's season a success, admitting Spurs are "lacking something" as speculation over Antonio Conte's future grows. 

Spurs have seen their hopes of avoiding another trophyless season evaporate within the space of a week, following up an FA Cup loss at Sheffield United with a Champions League exit against Milan.

Tottenham suffered a dire Premier League defeat at Wolves between those two eliminations, and they have now failed to score in three successive games for the first time since a three-match losing run in April and May 2019.

With Spurs now facing a battle for a top-four berth, Kane says a 15th consecutive campaign without silverware is unacceptable.

"Where we're at as a club, we should be winning trophies," Kane told reporters. "The top four [being Spurs' only target] is a consequence of not playing as well as we want to play. 

"For sure, it's not enough for this club. I totally understand the fans' frustrations. Top four is not good enough for anyone at this club, especially the fans. They have the right to voice their opinion.

"The last week especially just hasn't been good enough. Before the Sheffield United game, the season could have been a whole lot different. 

"You go through there, you take that momentum into the league game and this game [against Milan]. 

"But I feel like that loss last week put a dagger in our hearts and as you can see, we haven't really recovered from that."

 

Spurs' expected goals over two legs in a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Milan was only 0.91, and they have failed to win any of their past five Champions League knockout games (D1 L4) since beating Ajax 3-2 at the semi-final stage in 2019.

It has been suggested their latest failure could spell the end of head coach Conte's tenure at the club, with the Italian accepting Spurs may sack him before his contract expires at the end of the season.

Asked for his thoughts on Conte's future, Kane said: "It's his decision, he's going to be the one that makes that choice. 

"All we can do as players is try to perform for him, work as hard as we can. That's what we're doing. You can't fault the effort of the players. We're just lacking something. 

"We've talked about mentality before and that ruthless hunger to be better, to be the best, to be one of the best teams in Europe. We just haven't quite found that yet."

England captain Owen Farrell has been dropped to the bench for Saturday's clash with France as head coach Steve Borthwick offered no guarantees about his long-term future as skipper.

Marcus Smith will step in at fly-half, while Ellis Genge will captain the side, but Borthwick said Farrell will take over the leadership once he comes on as a replacement.

Farrell's goal-kicking has been poor during this Six Nations campaign and that was one of several factors behind Borthwick's decision.

Ahead of Saturday's match at Twickenham, the decision to demote 104-cap Farrell was the standout selection issue on either side, particularly as it comes so soon in Borthwick's reign, and ahead of a Rugby World Cup later in the year. This will be just Borthwick's fourth game in charge.

Genge was captain under Borthwick during their time together at Leicester Tigers, and it remains to be seen whether the coach sees him occupying the role on a regular basis at international level. This will be his first time captaining England from the start in a Test.

Borthwick knew his selection would be a contentious move, and he said England were in "a fantastic position" to have such strong options at fly-half.

"My job is to select who the right person to start and who the right person to come off the bench is," Borthwick said.

Eddie Jones' successor stressed he made line-up decisions on a game-by-game basis and sidestepped a question about Farrell's long-term future as captain, saying he was focusing only on the France game.

Farrell has been captain since the 2019 Six Nations. Borthwick said the 31-year-old had been "brilliant" in training this week, while also hailing Genge's captaincy qualities. He described Genge as "a fantastic leader, a natural leader, and he's somebody players follow".

"To have Ellis and Owen there, it's two brilliant men that these players get behind," Borthwick added. "I can't praise Owen enough, not just for this week but every day since we've started working together in this capacity. He cares so deeply about this team."

Asked about Farrell's kicking problems in relation to the team selection, Borthwick said: "I consider every aspect as I try to do this job as thoroughly as possible.

"I think if you were to track all the teams I've selected over the last few years, there have been some pretty bold decisions. I think what I've tried to do is pick a team that is right team for that game.

"That's what I do every single week. Every game matters for England. I believe this is the right team in all the different considerations and all the different factors against a very, very good French team."

 

Teams:

England: Freddie Steward, Max Malins, Henry Slade, Ollie Lawrence, Anthony Watson, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet; Ellis Genge (captain), Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Ollie Chessum, Lewis Ludlam, Jack Willis, Alex Dombrandt.

Replacements: Jack Walker, Mako Vunipola, Dan Cole, David Ribbans, Ben Curry, Alex Mitchell, Owen Farrell, Henry Arundell.

France: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Ethan Dumortier, Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont (captain); Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Dorian Aldegheri, Thibaud Flament, Paul Willemse, Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt.

Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Reda Wardi, Sipili Falatea, Romain Taofifenua, Sekou Macalou, Maxime Lucu, Yoram Moefana, Melvyn Jaminet.

Paul Pogba has been dropped by Juventus for Thursday's Europa League clash with Freiburg in Turin.

The France international was reportedly late for a team meeting on Wednesday and was not included in Massimiliano Allegri's squad when it was circulated on the morning of the last-16, first-leg tie.

Pogba has endured a miserable start to his second spell with Juve after re-joining the club from Manchester United last July.

The 29-year-old midfielder has suffered with multiple injuries and had to wait until February 28 to make his second debut, coming off the bench in the 4-2 derby win against Torino and also appeared as a late substitute in Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Roma.

Thursday's game against Bundesliga club Freiburg had been earmarked as one in which he could make a long-awaited start with Allegri outlining his optimism at the pre-match press conference.

However, widespread reports in Italy have suggested Pogba was late to a team meeting 24 hours before the game with Allegri subsequently opting to leave the player out completely.

Usman Khawaja delighted in scoring Australia's first red-ball century in India for six years after his unbeaten 104 guided the tourists to 255-4 on day one of the fourth and final Test.

The opener carried the bat through sweltering conditions at Narendra Modi Stadium with a resolute knock to put the visitors on track for their best total of the series.

His efforts halted a long wait for an Australian to reach triple figures in a Test innings in the country, with interim captain Steve Smith the last to achieve it in 2017.

For Khawaja, his performance was a fitting pay-off for previous visits to the country where he failed to get on the pitch, offering a satisfying start to the final game in Ahmedabad.

"There was a lot of emotion in that," he said. "I have been to India on two tours before this, and carried the drinks in all eight Test matches. It was a long journey.

"To finally get a hundred in India, as an Australian, that's what you want to do, that's what you want to tick off. It's very special.

"It was such a nice wicket; I just didn't want to give my wicket away. It was a mental battle more than anything. You need to put your ego away. It was a battle all day."

Australia are looking to tie the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after they claimed a nine-wicket victory in the third Test earlier this month, following losses in the first two games.

Corinne Diacre was sacked as France head coach on Thursday after a player revolt highlighted "irreversible dysfunctions" ahead of the Women's World Cup.

The French Football Federation (FFF) said its executive committee determined a "fracture" between Diacre and senior players had "reached a point of no return which harms the interests of the national team".

It follows captain Wendie Renard last month announcing she would not play at the World Cup under Diacre's leadership, with forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto following suit by putting their own international careers on hold. All three issued forceful statements on social media before effectively going on strike from the team.

Diacre came out fighting on Wednesday when she accused her detractors of participating in "a destabilisation operation ... whose only objective is a personal settling of scores".

Yet her five-and-a-half-year stint at the national team helm is over, following recommendations made by a commission comprising former France women's players Laura Georges and Aline Riera, long-time Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas and former France men's international Marc Keller.

The FFF said in a statement: "The numerous hearings carried out made it possible to establish the observation of a very significant divide with senior players and highlighted a discrepancy with the requirements of the very high level. This fracture has reached a point of no return which harms the interests of the national team.

"If the FFF recognises the involvement and the seriousness of Corinne Deacon and her staff in the exercise of their mission, it appears that the dysfunctions observed seem, in this context, irreversible.

"In view of these elements, it was decided to put an end to the mission of Corinne Deacon at the head of the French women's team.

"This change of coach is part of a new global ambition led by the FFF in favour of the development of women's football and the performance of the French team, which will have to achieve high objectives during the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Olympics."

Interim FFF president Philippe Diallo called on the commission to begin the search for a new head coach and determine candidates as soon as possible.

As Diacre reluctantly departs, the FFF called into question the tactics of the players in staging their public mutiny, stating that operating in such a way "to express their criticisms was no longer acceptable in future".

France begin their campaign at the Women's World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, when they play Jamaica in Sydney on July 23. They will also face Brazil and Panama in Group F.

Bangladesh completed a fine run chase to upset a weakened England in the opening T20I as Najmul Hossain Shanto's half-century helped the hosts to a six-wicket victory.

Without a host of big names in Chattogram, including Ben Stokes and Harry Brook, the world champions toiled in the second half of their innings and made only 156-6.

England then failed to make sufficient headway with the ball as the hosts kicked off the three-match series with a surprise win.

The tourists initially looked set for a routine victory following an impressive opening stand of 80 from Phil Salt (38) and captain Jos Buttler (67), but they stuttered thereafter.

Mustafizur Rahman's fierce 16th-over delivery to remove Ben Duckett (20) was the catalyst for Bangladesh's assault, with Shanto clinging onto Buttler's leg-side drive from the very next ball.

Having provided the delivery which accounted for Buttler, Hasan Mahmud also sent Sam Curran packing as England's rate continued to slow.

Bangladesh recovered from the early losses of Rony Talukdar (21) and Litton Das (12) after taking up the bat, with Shanto's knock of 51 supported by Towhid Hridoy (24) and skipper Shakib Al Hasan (34no).

Even Mark Wood sending stumps flying to end Shanto's stay did nothing to slow Bangladesh's progress, as Shakib finished off a clinical chase by finding the boundary with 12 balls remaining.

Significant scalp for Bangladesh

Bangladesh entered Thursday's contest having lost seven of their last nine T20Is, with World Cup triumphs over Zimbabwe and the Netherlands their only wins in that run.

However, after winning the third and final ODI against England on Monday, they carried that form into the shorter format to turn the world champions over in comfortable fashion at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Shanto leads the way

While the experience of Shakib helped Bangladesh over the line, Shanto's excellent knock set them on their way to a textbook chase.

Shanto's half-century was his third in T20Is, following knocks of 71 against Zimbabwe and 54 against Pakistan at the World Cup last year.

Usman Khawaja ground out a gutsy century to put Australia on top after day one of the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad.

The opener said he had completed "a long journey" by finally making it to three figures on what is his third tour of India in the long format.

Australia amassed 255-4, with Khawaja 104 not out at stumps, reaching his ton with a boundary from the first ball of the day's final over.

A nine-wicket victory for Australia in the third Test last week has fuelled hope they could complete a fightback from 2-0 behind to draw this series, and this start boded well.

While it was Khawaja's day, others helped the score along, with Travis Head making a brisk 32 at the top of the innings and captain Steve Smith adding a hardy 38 from 135 balls before falling to an inside edge off Ravindra Jadeja.

Mohammed Shami bowled Marnus Labuschagne (3) and Peter Handscomb (17), but Cameron Green cracked a rapid 49no containing eight fours as he kept Khawaja company late in the day.

Khawaja got to 99 with a single from the final ball of the penultimate over, making it a nerve-jangling end to day one as he retained the strike to face Shami.

The 36-year-old left-hander held his nerve, clipping away a leg-side four to make it a day for him and Australia to savour. It took him 246 deliveries to get there, and Khawaja will look to bat on deep into Friday to pile pressure on India.

Comeback on the cards?

After day one, Australia will be fancying their task in this match. They are seeking back-to-back men's Test wins against India for the first time since December 2014, and the last time they had consecutive wins in a series in India was in December 1969. India have not lost more than one game in a men's Test series on home soil since losing 2-1 to England in November-December 2012. The hosts can't lose this series, of course, but a draw might feel like a defeat given they won the opening two Tests.

Classy Khawaja

Six of Khawaja's 14 Test tons have come since the start of 2022, underlining what a sensational late-career revival he is enjoying. This was his first Test century against India at any ground, with his previous highest score having been the 81 he made last month in Delhi. In an end-of-day interview, he recalled being a drinks carrier on his first two tours of India, but this time he is making his presence felt.

Emma Raducanu has revealed the wrist injury which ended her 2022 season has returned, though she remains hopeful of playing at the Indian Wells Open.

Raducanu saw her 2022 season cut short by a problem with her right wrist, while a bout of tonsillitis caused her to miss last week's Austin Open.

The 2021 US Open winner was seen practising with strapping on both wrists on Wednesday, ahead of Thursday's Indian Wells opener against Danka Kovinic.

Asked about her fitness, Raducanu told BBC Sport: "The same issue that I had last year has started to flare back up.

"I've definitely been managing my load. It's something that has just come back, so I'm trying to be as cautious as possible. I'm going to do everything I can to be there tomorrow."

Raducanu's recent struggles with tonsillitis represented the latest setback of a year in which she has played just four competitive matches, and the 20-year-old has been frustrated by her lack of time on court. 

"It affected me badly for the short term, so I haven't prepared much. I've probably never felt so sick in my life," Raducanu reflected. 

"When it rains, it pours. This [the wrist injury] and the infection… it's obviously a challenge. My preparation hasn't been ideal. I played on the weekend and then I rested it. It's how you manage things when you aren't prepared."

Thierry Henry warned Paris Saint-Germain will struggle to keep Kylian Mbappe and urged the club to rethink their transfer strategy after another painful Champions League exit.

France great Henry believes PSG fans have found it difficult to embrace the global superstars who have arrived during the Qatar Sports Investments era, suggesting they are hankering after a side with more French representation.

Mbappe was the only Frenchman in coach Christophe Galtier's starting XI against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, and Henry suspects the 2-0 defeat in Germany, sealing a 3-0 aggregate success for Bayern, could hasten the striker's exit.

Despite finishing as the World Cup's top scorer with France, since returning to PSG there has been little for Mbappe to smile about.

Results in Ligue 1 have been largely decent enough, with top spot locked down for now, but the Parisians were ousted from the Coupe de France by Marseille, and now they are out of Europe too.

Galtier will be under scrutiny, but if Mbappe begins to question his future that would be a devastating blow. He was persuaded to resist Real Madrid's interest last May, but Henry fancies Mbappe may want to reconsider his commitment.

Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, Henry said PSG should turn their focus to local talent, saying: "If that's the project, maybe the fans can look at it, and it can look like something that's very interesting. Maybe it can be a way – I don't think it can be a way – to keep Kylian if he sees that they're going that way. I think it's going to be a tough one now to keep him."

PSG have lost at the Champions League last-16 stage in five of the last seven seasons, landing some tough draws in that time, twice losing to Real Madrid while also going out to Barcelona, Manchester United and now Bayern.

 

Henry said there is "a fracture" between PSG and the club's traditional fanbase.

With the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar having been brought to the Parc des Princes, Henry considers it a "crazy" situation to have supporters in revolt.

"Because if you told me 20 years ago Paris would have that team I would have said, 'You're joking, this is not happening'," Henry said.

"Even their fans would have said, 'Please give me the paper now, I'll sign'.

"And now they have that, they're not always happy about it because I don't think they can relate to the team.

"So do you go back and get young French players from the area of Paris because they grew up idolising that club?"

The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward added: "Sometimes you have to grab the community, you have to grab the people that love the club.

"Is it Paris Saint-Germain, or what are you building? Are you going to get players for the sake of getting players, and then let's play? For me, bring the best young French players back because a lot of them do support Paris Saint-Germain.

"They got Mbappe from Monaco. He was young, a lot of people wanted him. They got Neymar [when he was] young. It's still an attractive club."

Mbappe, who hit seven goals in the group stage, was questioned about his future in the moments after Wednesday's defeat at the Allianz Arena, saying: "No, no, I'm calm, the only thing that matters to me this season is winning the championship and then we'll see."

Players who joined LIV Golf should not be allowed to return to the PGA Tour upon the expiration of their contracts with the breakaway circuit, believes Matt Fitzpatrick.

The PGA Tour has suspended players who signed up for the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed competition since its launch last year.

Speaking ahead of The Players Championship, where holder Cameron Smith will be absent after defecting to LIV Golf, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said there was no pathway in place should a player wish to reverse such a switch.

U.S. Open champion Fitzpatrick does not believe the PGA Tour should welcome them back, telling Sky Sports News: "My personal view is that you can't have your cake and eat it.

"I would not let people come back if they had gone to LIV, I just wouldn't.

"Don't get me wrong, they could turn around and say, 'You can come and play LIV if you want', but I don't want to do that. I want to stay here and I want to play DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

"I think it is incredibly unfair for the PGA Tour to do that and I would be staggered if they did allow them [to come back]. 

"I think if you spoke to Tiger Woods then he would probably have the same stance, although I don't know what other guys would have.

"If you have left the Tour that you have been on for so long and done so well, then you have left for something you think is better, even if it maybe is not always greener."

Despite Fitzpatrick's strong views on the LIV circuit, he reiterated his belief that defecting players should be allowed to represent Europe at the Ryder Cup later this year.

"Obviously I have just said there about not letting them back on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour, I completely agree with that, but the Ryder Cup is a completely different case," he said.

"For me, I would want the 12 best players on the team. Hopefully I am one of those, to try and win. That is what the goal should be, to try and win, not to be nice about who should be playing, in my opinion."

Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI after being forced out of the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the New Orleans Pelicans with a thigh issue, having described his injury as "not good".

Doncic recorded 15 points and eight assists before exiting in the third quarter of Wednesday's 113-106 defeat, a result that saw the Mavs slip to eighth in the Western Conference.

The four-time NBA All-Star appeared to be in pain after going up for a 15-foot jump shot, and his condition must be assessed ahead of the first game of a double-header against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday.

Asked about his thigh after the loss to New Orleans, Doncic said on Wednesday: "It's not good.

"I didn't get hit. So this is kind of weird for me. I don't really know what it is. I can feel it mostly on the jump shots because you need both legs, so pushing off has been really hard for me.

"Tomorrow, we're going to do an MRI. We'll see if everything is fine. Just ice and therapy and that's it. We'll see more tomorrow."

Doncic also revealed he felt discomfort in the same area before a 142-116 win over the San Antonio Spurs on February 24, with the injury lingering since then.

"I think it was the second game after the All-Star break, something like that," Doncic said, when asked when he first sustained the problem.

Coach Jason Kidd said: "I think we all can see he's not moving well. Shooting, defense – it's affecting everything. He's trying to fight through it and help his team-mates. But he had to leave there.

"Hopefully it's not something serious. We have a couple of days here before we play Memphis. Hopefully he's back soon."

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