Some governing bodies will allow athletes to compete if they distance themselves from the Putin regime, but is this fair on their Ukrainian opponents?When the horrors inflicted on Bucha’s residents emerged last week, the Russian grandmaster – and serial Vladimir Putin apologist – Sergey Karjakin was asked for his response. “Have you seen the pictures, Sergey?” the questioner probed on social media. “The senseless killings of innocent people. Men, women and children. Tortured by the Russian army. Bound hands behind their backs, and shot in the back of the head. Have you seen it, Sergey?”Karjakin, who represented Ukraine until 2009 before transferring his allegiance to Russia, had indeed seen the images. And his reply was chilling. “I wanted to say...
Spaniard has overcome many setbacks to reach Australian Open final where Daniil Medvedev stands in the way of historyTwo long, dramatic weeks ago, just before the Australian Open was due to begin, Rafael Nadal sat down to set the scene for the fortnight ahead. The shadow of Novak Djokovic’s deportation saga looming large over the tournament, Nadal forcefully answered questions onabout his rival. He discussed his recent injuries and his health. He stressed the necessity of taking his return step by step.At no point was he asked about, or did he mention, the prospect of winning his 21st grand slam title. It was always clear that by virtue of entering the draw, this is what he was competing for, but...
Djokovic missed out on the calendar slam at the final hurdle but declared himself ‘the happiest man alive’ after his defeatSomething was wrong. The machine was malfunctioning. The power was blinking on and off. Routine backhands were dropping into the net. Forehands were flying long. On Amazon, which was hosting UK television coverage of the US Open men’s final, users were already beginning to voice their disapproval in the reviews. “Awful quality,” noted one. “Glitches throughout, not good enough service.” “Very disappointing quality coverage.” They weren’t talking about Novak Djokovic, but they might as well have been.Of course, over the years we have all glimpsed Djokovic in various states of disrepair, and most of the time we think we know...