Tennis news today: Novak Djokovic will be able to defend French Open title, WTA chief Steve Simon isn't in favor of players being banned over Ukraine crisis | 17 March 2022
Novak Djokovic's stance on vaccines prevented him from defending his Australian Open title earlier this year. However, the former World No. 1 will have a shot at defending his Roland Garros crown in a few months, as confirmed by tournament director Amelie Mauresmo.
Many Russian athletes are facing restrictions due to the ongoing Ukraine crisis, but WTA chief Steve Simon feels players shouldn't have to deal with the consequences of their country's leadership.
Former Ukrainian tennis pro Alexandr Dolgopolov is the latest to join the fight to defend his country and Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak.
Here's a round-up of the day's biggest news.
French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo confirms Novak Djokovic will be able to participate in the tournament
With France relaxing its vaccination rules and Novak Djokovic adding the Monte-Carlo Masters to his schedule, it was rumored that the Serb would be able to compete in the French Open. French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has now confirmed that he'll be able to defend his title based on the current situation.
However, FFT president Gilles Moretton stated that things could change before the tournament and if the government introduces new measures, they would have to follow them. This could mean that Djokovic might be barred from participating if there is a last-minute change in rules.
WTA head Steve Simon doesn't agree with banning Russian players
In an interview with the BBC, WTA chief Steve Simon stated that athletes shouldn't have to face the repurcussions of their country's political leadership. Russia and Belarus have already been disqualified from the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup and athletes from the two countries are currently competing under a neutral flag.
"You never know what the future may bring," Simon told BBC Sport. "But I can tell you that we have never banned athletes from participating on our tour as the result of political positions their leadership may take. So it would take something very, very significant for that to change, but again we don't know where this is going."
The UK government also recently announced that Daniil Medvedev and other Russian athletes may have to provide assurances that they're not supporters of Vladimir Putin if they want to compete at Wimbledon.
Simon added that tennis tours haven't banned players due to their country's political stance, so it would take something drastic for that to change.
Alexandr Dolgopolov returns to Ukraine to aid his country's war efforts
Former Ukrainian tennis pro Sergiy Stakhovsky was already a part of his country's military efforts and now compatriot Alexandr Dolgopolov has joined the fight as well.
Dolgopolov, who reached a career-high ranking of 13 and officially retired this year, posted on Instagram about his decision to return to defend his country.
"They were really happy to help, once they heard my goal. I'm not Rambo in a week, but quite comfortable with the weapons, and can hit the head 3 out of 5 times, from 25 meters in a calm, practice environment," he said.
All Majors to follow the 10 point tie-break rule in the final set from the 2022 Roland Garros
All four Grand Slams jointly announced their decision to implement the 10 point tie-break once matches reach 6-6 in the final set. Currently, deciding sets at the Majors have different rules. While the Australian Open is already following the 10-point tie-break system, Roland Garros does not have a final-set tie-break.
Wimbledon organizers previously tweaked the final-set rules, implementing a tie-break after the match reaches 12-12, but that's about to change. The US Open had a standard seven-point final-set tie-break when the score reaches 6-6.
The new system will be trialed for one year starting from Roland Garros, after which a final decision will be made.
Rafael Nadal improves to 18-0 in 2022
Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak to 18 matches this year. Reilly Opelka was his latest scalp, falling 7-6(3), 7-6(5) in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters.
Nadal is set to face Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals. He leads the Australian 5-3 in the head-to-head.
THAT MATCH POINT 🤯
#IndianWells | @RafaelNadal https://t.co/vkiVQEiMKC