MARK BROWN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
American John Isner has decided to skip next month's Australian Open as COVID-19 protocols mean he would be away from his family for an extended period, the Tennis Majors website reported on Monday.
Players must undergo a 14-day quarantine period after arriving in Australia for the first Grand Slam of the year. They will be allowed five hours outside their hotel rooms to train.
"I'm staying home," the website quoted the world number 25 as saying.
"At this stage of my career and in my life I've always had visions of being able to travel with my family.
"It really was just a situation where I didn't want to be away from my family for that long."
Isner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The 35-year-old Dallas resident, who is known for his towering frame and massive serve, has been ranked as high as number eight in the world.
He has 15 ATP singles titles to his name but is still searching for his first major championship and has never advanced past the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
Isner lost in three sets to fellow American Sebastian Korda in the quarter-finals of the Delray Beach Open on Monday.
American great Serena Williams will face Australian 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round of her eagerly awaited return to Wimbledon, a potentially tricky tie for the seven-time champion playing at the tournament for the first time since 2022.
Australia booked their spot in the knockout rounds of the World Cup on Thursday after a cagey draw against Paraguay, who are set to qualify as a third-placed finisher, while Turkey beat USA 3-2, scoring the winner with virtually the last kick of the match.
The Netherlands scored two goals in the first seven minutes of the first half en route to a 3-1 victory over Tunisia on Thursday night in Kansas City in Group F, while Japan and Sweden drew 1-1 in Texas.
Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece said all Ecuadoreans have a lot to celebrate on Thursday after the country's biggest World Cup result ever, coming from behind to beat Germany 2-1 and advance to the knockout stage.
New Zealand took control of the third Test at Trent Bridge with Tom Latham and Devon Conway setting a record partnership for the Kiwis against England on Thursday.
The UAE's National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) says a technical issue in the early warning system has been resolved after it led to the sending of incorrect alert messages.
His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has held a phone call with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss the latest regional developments.
Minister of State, Lana Nusseibeh, has underlined that "Gulf consultation, inclusion and participation is a necessary condition" in Iran peace talks during a Joint Ministerial Meeting of the GCC and the US in Bahrain.