Sports

Australian Open 2025: Novak Djokovic feels good and ready to roll to another title.

Published

1 week ago

January 20, 2025

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after defeating United States’ Talyor Fritz in their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021.(AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic got the mea culpas he wanted from the Australian Open’s local broadcaster and its employee who insulted him on the air and so, according to tournament organizers, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is ready to concentrate on his quarterfinal showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.

“Novak acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested,” read a statement issued Monday by Tennis Australia, “and is now moving on and focusing on his next match.”

That, perhaps, will draw a curtain on the bizarre off-court distraction as Djokovic pursues what would be an 11th championship at Melbourne Park and a record 25th major trophy overall.

After winning at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday evening to set up the contest against No. 3 Alcaraz, Djokovic declined to do the customary post-match on court TV interview, but didn’t immediately say why, eliciting some jeering from spectators. Only later that night, at his news conference, did Djokovic explain that he was taking a stand to protest comments made by Tony Jones on Channel 9 on Friday.

Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia, did not name Jones, but said a “famous sports journalist who works for official broadcaster Channel 9 … made a mockery of Serbian fans and also made insulting and offensive comments toward me.”

Jones called Djokovic overrated and a has-been and made what seemed to be a reference to when the player was deported from Australia in 2022 because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

Djokovic added that he would continue to avoid speaking to the network without an apology from it and Jones.

Those finally arrived on Monday.

Nine Network said in a statement it apologized “for any offense caused from comments made” while live on air.

“No harm was intended towards Novak or his fans,” the statement continued. “We look forward to further showcasing his Australian Open campaign at Melbourne Park.”

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During an appearance on a TV show Monday, Jones said he intended his words as “banter” and apologized to Djokovic “if he felt that I disrespected him.”

“I considered it to be humor, which is consistent with most things I do,” Jones said. “Having said that, I was made aware … that the Djokovic camp was not happy at all with those comments. I immediately contacted the Djokovic camp and issued an apology to them. And as I stand here now, I stand by that apology to Novak.”

Jones also offered words to Serbians.

“I do feel as though I’ve let down the Serbian fans,” he said. “I’m not just saying this to try and wriggle out of trouble or anything. I genuinely feel for those fans.”

Serbia’s ambassador to Australia, Rade Stefanovic, even got involved Monday, telling the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that Jones’ comments were “clearly unprofessional,” including a “most concerning” reference to what happened three years ago when Djokovic was kicked out of the country ahead of the tournament amid the pandemic.

Before Jones and his employer offered their apologies, Djokovic posted a message on social media reiterating why he declined to speak. That drew a reply from billionaire X owner Elon Musk, who said, “It’s way better just to talk to the public directly than go through the negativity filter of legacy media.”

Djokovic replied to Musk’s tweet with “Indeed” and a raised-hands emoji.

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AP Sports Writer John Pye in Brisbane, Australia, contributed.

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Sports

NBA Europe? A Possibility In The Future

Published

2 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

Adam Silver

There are arenas available in Europe.

National Basketball Association owners were supposed to be considering expanding to 32 teams sometime in 2025 but almost a month has passed and it appears that NBA owners are more interested in euros or pounds than the glitz of Las Vegas and the corporate rich Seattle market. The league is also investigating whether Mexico City has the wherewithal to host an NBA franchise. “Mexico City is a market that we’ve been playing regular season games and not just preseason games for a long time. I think that’s potentially doable, “said the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “There are other issues involved, it’s not about to happen overnight, but I think that’s a real opportunity.” But European expansion is also on Silver’s mind. He has dusted off the old David Stern plan to expand into Europe. About two decades ago, the NBA Commissioner Stern was wondering whether an NBA European Division would work but there was an arena problem in Europe. There were enough NBA state-of-the-art facilities on the continent and the notion went dormant until recently. Silver made an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast and discussed how things might work in Europe but there are some obstacles.

“One of the things we’ve been discussing is whether, before adding NBA franchises in Europe, there’s an opportunity to create an independent league there. This could leverage the enormous interest in basketball in major European capitals like Paris, London, Berlin, and Madrid and other major cities that love basketball,” Silver continued, “One day, maybe it’ll be my successor, but I can definitely see a division of NBA teams in Europe, and I think it would be an incredible thing for the game.” The business of the NBA is selling the brand globally. The league is looking for new money making markets and Europe appears to be the next stop.

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FILE – In this Sept. 2, 2020, file photo, the NBA logo (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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Rays and free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim agree to 2-year deal worth $29 million, AP source says

Published

14 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (7) in the ninth inning of a baseball game, Aug. 17, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

The Tampa Bay Rays and free agent Ha-Seong Kim have agreed to a two-year contract valued at $29 million, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been announced. ESPN first reported the agreement.

Kim, who played his first four seasons in the majors with the San Diego Padres and won a Gold Glove in 2023, will be paid $13 million this year. He also could earn $2 million in performance bonuses — $10,000 per plate appearance starting at 326 through 525.

Kim has a $16 million player option for 2026.

The 29-year-old infielder from South Korea tore the labrum in his right shoulder on Aug. 18 and needed season-ending surgery. He hit .233 with 11 homers and 22 stolen bases in the final season of a $28 million, four-year contract.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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Tampa earns the No. 1 spot in the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason rankings.

Published

21 hours ago

January 30, 2025

Austin Reed

Tampa earns the No. 1 spot in the USA Lacrosse Magazine’s initial rankings. After earning the program’s highest final ranking in 2024 following a National Championship title, the team garners its highest-ever preseason ranking in any poll at No. 1 surpassing the previous mark at No. 4.

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Tampa is the No. 1 team in the USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Preseason Top 20, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced Tuesday.

When Tampa put the final touches on its 13-8 win over Adelphi in the 2024 NCAA championship game, the Spartans became the fourth straight first-time champion in Division II. And they were certainly deserving.

The defending national champs are the popular choice among Division II coaches as the preseason No. 1, with returning talent throughout the lineup. Peyton Howell and Sophi Wrisk return to lead the offense, with Lexi Waters and Delaney Stahrr back as the defensive anchors.

While it’s still to be seen how the changes for 2025 ‑ an expanded NCAA tournament field of 24 teams and automatic berths for conference champions ‑ will impact the parity, what is known is that Tampa begins the new season right where it left off last year, sitting at the top of the national rankings.

Led by midfielders Maggie Schipfer and Megan Bunker, No. 2 Regis has a strong group returning from last year’s final-four team. A sixth straight RMAC title and another deep NCAA run won’t be surprising in 2025.

No. 3 Florida Southern battled Tampa three times last year, with those games decided by a combined four goals. The margin between these two Sunshine State Conference foes is usually razor-thin, and that’s likely to be the case again this spring.

No. 4 Pace, which was undefeated until the NCAA regional final in 2024, must replace national player of the year Angelina Porcello in the midfield as well as first-team All-America defender Alexandra Quinn, but the Setters welcome back All-America goalie Sami Tanguay.

Rounding out the top five, West Chester has some key losses from last year’s regional final squad, most notably midfielder Hannah Stanislawczyk, the program’s all-time scoring leader. The return of midfielder Keri Barnett, who missed all of 2024 due to an injury, should help.

Preseason rankings are compiled by USA Lacrosse Magazine staff and contributors with consultation from college coaches.

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