Tennis news today: Novak Djokovic to reclaim World No. 1 ranking after Medvedev's loss, Jane Campion apologizes to Williams sisters for her crass remark | 15 March 2022
Novak Djokovic is set to return to the No. 1 spot. Daniil Medvedev's reign as the top-ranked player in the world ended rather early following his loss at the Indian Wells Masters. Djokovic is set to replace him at the top when the rankings are updated next week.
Jane Campion, who recently said something uncomplimentary about the Williams sisters during her acceptance speech at the Critics Choice Awards, has apologized to them.
The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in several athletes from Russia and Belarus getting caught in the crossfire. The ITF has announced that the Russian and Belarusian teams in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup have been replaced by other teams.
Andy Murray has also offered his take on the Naomi Osaka heckling incident. Here's a round-up of the day's biggest headlines.
Novak Djokovic is back as the World No. 1
Despite being unable to compete at the ongoing Indian Wells Masters, Novak Djokovic had a shot at reclaiming the World No. 1 ranking. Following Daniil Medvedev's third-round loss to Gael Monfils in the tournament, Djokovic is all set to ascend to the top of the rankings once again.
Medvedev needs to reach at least the quarterfinals in Indian Wells to continue as the World No. 1. The Russian will have a chance to get back on top once again if he reaches the semifinals at the Miami Masters, which is set to begin next week.
Jane Campion apologizes to Venus and Serena Williams
Jane Campion won the Critics Choice Award for Best Director over the weekend for her acclaimed movie, "The Power of the Dog." During her acceptance speech, she made snide remarks about the Williams sisters, who were present at the event as the executive producers for "King Richard," a biopic about their father.
Campion stated that unlike the sisters, she had to directly compete against men to come out on top. Her comments received flak from all quarters online and the director has now apologized for the same in a statement released by her representative.
"I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved. I did not intend to devalue these two legendary Black women and world class athletes, said Jane Campion. The fact is the Williams sisters have, actually, squared off against men on the court (and off), and they have both raised the bar and opened doors for what is possible for women in this world. The last thing I would ever want to do is minimize remarkable women."
The ITF announces replacement teams for Russia and Belarus in the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup Finals
The Russian tennis team won both the Davis Cup and the Bille Jean King Cup in 2021. As champions, they automatically qualified for the finals of the 2022 edition.
However, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in the Russian teams getting disqualified from both events. Belarus' support for Russia in the ongoing war has resulted in the country's team also facing disqualification.
In the Billie Jean King Cup, Russia's spot has gone to Australia. Slovakia, who were set to face Australia in the qualifying rounds, advance to the final as well, as a result of a bye. Belgium, who were set to face Belarus in the qualifying rounds, advanced to the final too.
Russia's spot in the 2022 Davis Cup Finals has been awarded to Serbia. Serbia reached the semifinals last year, with the charge being led by Djokovic. Whether Djokovic will return this year remains unknown.
Barbora Krejcikova was the most drug-tested player in 2021
The ITF has released their stats for the tests conducted on athletes as part of their Anti-Doping Program. Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 Roland Garros champion and former World No. 1 in doubles, topped the list of players who were tested the most.
With a total of 36 tests, 25 in-competition and 11 out-of-competition, Krejcikova was tested quite frequently this past year.
Andy Murray's words of advise for Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka's Indian Wells campaign ended on a sour note, as she was reduced to tears by a heckler during her second-round loss against Veronika Kudermetova. During a press conference, Andy Murray chimed in with his take on the matter. He stated that while it's not acceptable for people to abuse players, unfortunately it's a part of the sport and players have to be better prepared to handle such incidents.
"So, obviously I feel for Naomi, that obviously it upset her a lot, but it's always been something that's been part of sport as well. So you have to be prepared for that in some ways and be able to tolerate it because it does happen regularly across all sports."