Sports News Roundup: Djokovic's 'sublime 9' a statement to the chasing pack; Djokovic faces a sideline spell with muscle tear and more

Djokovic's 'sublime 9' a statement to the chasing pack Novak Djokovic's "unbelievable" performance to win his ninth Australian Open final was a statement to the young guns looking to break the stranglehold of the "Big Three" on Grand Slam titles, according to seven-times major winner Mats Wilander.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Djokovic's 'sublime 9' a statement to the chasing pack

Novak Djokovic's "unbelievable" performance to win his ninth Australian Open final was a statement to the young guns looking to break the stranglehold of the "Big Three" on Grand Slam titles, according to seven-times major winner Mats Wilander. Arguments over which of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal or Djokovic are the greatest men's champion of all time might rage long after they hang up their rackets, but at Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena the Serbian is in a class of his own.

Djokovic faces a sideline spell with muscle tear after sweet success

Novak Djokovic will need to spend some time on the sidelines recovering from a muscle tear that hindered him in the later rounds of the Australian Open, the Serbian said as he celebrated his ninth Melbourne Park title on Monday. The 33-year-old extended his own record with an emphatic 7-5 6-2 6-2 victory over Daniil Medvedev at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday, despite carrying the injury suffered in the third round of the tournament.

World number one Barty uncertain of schedule as Osaka closes in

Australian Ash Barty has provided no certainty if she will play regularly on the women's tour amid the COVID-19 pandemic despite Naomi Osaka closing in on her world number one ranking with a fourth Grand Slam title in Melbourne. Barty accepted a wildcard to defend her Adelaide International title this week after making an exit at the quarter-final stage of her home Grand Slam with a defeat to Czech Karolina Muchova.

Christopher Bell wins O'Reilly on Daytona infield road course

Christopher Bell passed Joey Logano for the lead with two laps to go Sunday and then drove away for the victory in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 NASCAR Cup Series race on the infield road course at Daytona International Speedway. The win marked the first Cup Series win for Bell, who was on newer tires than Logano at the end. The Joe Gibbs Racing was making his 38th Cup start, and according to Nascar.com, he became just the 15th Cup Series driver to capture his first win on a road course.

Tiger in the Masters' final round? 'God, I hope so,' says Woods

Will Tiger Woods prowl into Augusta National this year? Even the 15-time major winner can't say for sure. The 45-year-old American said last month that he had undergone a recent back surgery - his fifth - and told a CBS broadcast Sunday that he was waiting on the results of an upcoming MRI to see when he might return to action.

Reggie Jackson steps down as Yankees' advisor

Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is stepping down as a special advisor for the New York Yankees, he told the New York Post on Sunday. "I would say I've stepped back a little bit, taken my retirement, really," Jackson said. "I just think it's time."

Heat's visit to Thunder will complete bonding road trip

The Miami Heat's turnaround started a bit before their current seven-game road trip. But heading into the trip finale against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night in Oklahoma City, Heat players, as well as head coach Erik Spoelstra, say the road journey has been a turning point.

Timberwolves sack head coach Saunders after league-worst record

The Minnesota Timberwolves have fired head coach Ryan Saunders after a league-worst record of 7-24 left them at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, the National Basketball Association (NBA) team said late on Sunday. They made the announcement after Sunday's 103-99 loss to the New York Knicks.

Rockies' Desmond first MLB player to opt out of 2021 season publicly

Two-time All-Star Ian Desmond of the Colorado Rockies has opted out of the upcoming 2021 season, the outfielder said on Sunday, citing current playing circumstances. Desmond is the first player Major League Baseball (MLB) is aware of to opt-out of the 2021 season, a league spokesman said, as America's pastime moves towards another year playing under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

Australian Open beats the odds to lay out a blueprint

Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic were rightly hailed as deserved Australian Open champions at the weekend but the ashen-faced former tennis coach standing behind them on the podium might be considered the real hero of the year's first Grand Slam. Tournament director Craig Tiley and his Tennis Australia team faced down sizeable odds to get the tournament up and running, albeit by the skin of their teeth at times, while much of the world was still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.