2022 Rewind: Novak Djokovic deportation to Lionel messi magic - top 10 sports stories

[caption id=“attachment_10289471” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Novak Djokovic flew to Melbourne in January hoping to capture a 10th Australian Open. However, the famously unvaccinated Serbian had his visa cancelled and was held in a hotel housing refugees before being deported on “health and good order” grounds. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10363101” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Kamila Valieva was at the centre of a doping scandal at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The Russian, 15 at the time, became the first woman to land a quadruple jump in Olympic competition, helping Russia secure gold. It then emerged she had tested positive before the Games for trimetazidine.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10473241” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Shane Warne, the legendary Australian cricketer, died at a luxury resort in Thailand in March from a suspected heart attack, aged 52. Credited with reviving the art of leg-spin, Warne took 708 Test wickets as part of a dominant Australian team in the 1990s and 2000s before becoming a respected commentator.[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10891761” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February saw them and allies Belarus become outcasts of world sport. Russia were kicked out of the football World Cup and world athletics championships while tennis players from both nations were banned from Wimbledon. However, Russian-born Elena Rybakina, representing Kazakhstan, won the women’s singles title at the All England Club. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10733041” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The 28 May Champions League final at the Stade de France in Paris descended into chaos when thousands of Liverpool fans were unable to gain access to the ground for the match against Real Madrid. Ticket-holding fans, who were attacked with tear gas by police and fell victim to street crime, were initially accused of trying to enter the stadium illegally. These allegations were disproved and organisers and security chiefs damned for poor organisation. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_10826661” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] When 25-year-old American artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez passed out at the end of her solo routine at the World Championships in Budapest in June, her coach Andrea Fuentes plunged to the rescue. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Fuentes dived to the bottom of the pool and dragged Alvarez to the surface. Alvarez quickly recovered but was prevented from competing again at the championships. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11036861” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Backed by the deep pockets of the Saudis, LIV Golf got underway in July, splitting the sport as it attracted major winners such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau with pledges of multi-million dollar purses for 54-hole, no-cut tournaments. The new circuit has been accused of “sportswashing” Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, and the US tours responded by suspending any players who competed in LIV events. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11322411” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tennis said goodbye to two of its greatest stars. First, Roger Federer, unable to shake off a lingering knee injury, called it quits at the age of 41 in September after a career which yielded 20 Grand Slams - a figure now passed by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Federer collected 103 titles and banked $130 million in prize money. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11173581” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Serena Williams refused to use the word “retirement” when she played what was likely her final tournament at the US Open. Now 41, the American said she was “evolving” away from tennis. She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, was number one for 319 weeks and, according to Forbes, was worth $260 million in 2022. AP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11489371” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] American grandmaster Hans Niemann was accused by Norwegian world champion Magnus Carlsen of cheating. Niemann filed a lawsuit, seeking $100 million in damages from Carlsen, his company Play Magnus Group, Danny Rensch of Chess.com, the world’s leading online chess platform, and American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura. Carlsen publicly accused Niemann of cheating, and chess.com alleged in a report that the 19-year-old American has “probably cheated more than 100 times” in online games. AFP[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_11832191” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Lionel Messi led Argentina to World Cup glory with a penalty shootout triumph over France after an epic final in Doha finished 3-3 in extra-time. Messi’s virtuoso performance sealed his status as one of the greatest players of all time, joining fellow icons Pele and Diego Maradona in an elite group. AP[/caption]