Australian Open offers reminders that sports reflect society

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Tennis, in particular, and sports, in general, can’t help but reflect society. And that means athletes, spectators and the folks who run leagues and events must contend with and perhaps confront whatever the prevailing global touchpoints are at any given time. A pandemic. A war. Mental health. #MeToo. Gun violence. And so on. The Australian Open, the Grand Slam tournament that began this week in Melbourne, is offering reminders of that. Novak Djokovic was greeted warmly in his return to the event after missing it a year ago because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19. On Tuesday, the tournament barred flags representing Russia or Belarus because of the invasion of Ukraine.