MELBOURNE, Australia—Rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were placed on opposite halves of the Australian Open bracket in the draw Thursday, meaning the owners of a combined 43 Grand Slam singles titles could only meet in the final at Melbourne Park. Djokovic, a nine-time champion in Australia, returns to the hard-court tournament after missing it…

MELBOURNE—Players at this month’s Australian Open will not be required to take COVID-19 tests and could play even if they had the virus, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Monday. The health policy, which Tiley said reflected what was happening in the wider community, is a marked change from strict protocols which surrounded the tournament…

Rafa Nadal said losing two straight matches was hardly the ideal preparation for his Australian Open title defense, but the world number two believes he had no reason to feel alarmed ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam starting in two weeks. Following an injury-ravaged 2022, Nadal lost his United Cup mixed team event opener…

Novak Djokovic arrived in Australia on Tuesday, nearly a year after he was deported from the country, ahead of his bid for a 10th men’s singles title at next month’s Australian Open. The 35-year-old was deported on the eve of this year’s tournament in Melbourne after he arrived in the country without being vaccinated against…

Alexander Zverev made a spirited defense of embattled world number one Novak Djokovic on Saturday (January 15), saying his legacy will not be tarnished by the visa saga which has rocked the tennis world ahead of the Australian Open. Djokovic arrived in Melbourne with a medical exemption from Australia’s requirement for visitors to be vaccinated…

Each day, Benzinga takes a look back at a notable market-related moment that occurred on this date. What Happened On Jan. 7, 1782, the Bank of North America opened as the United States’ first commercial bank. What Else Was Going On in the World? Over the next few months, Congress established the U.S. Mint, and the…

BRUSSELS—The Belgian government was set to reverse course on Wednesday by allowing theatres to reopen after a court suspended their closure ordered a week ago to try to stem the surge in infections from the Omicron coronavirus variant. The ruling from the Council of State did not cover cinemas, but the government says they too…

The two singles champions at this year’s U.S. Open will earn 35 percent less than in 2019, the last time the Grand Slam tennis tournament allowed spectators, while prize money for qualifying and the first three rounds of the main draw will rise as part of an overall increase. A year after banning fans entirely…

SAN FRANCISCO—Lexi Thompson needed to get her mind right before she could get her golf game back and now is in position to win her second career major. Thompson shot a bogey-free 5-under 66 on Saturday to take the lead into the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open for the first time in her…

PARIS—For the second year in a row, the traditional French Open schedule is being disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The clay-court Grand Slam tennis tournament said Thursday it will push back the start of this season’s event by one week because of surging virus cases in France. “This postponement will give us a little more…