Djokovic bounced out by qualifier in Florida

Novak Djokovic often bounces the ball more than a dozen times before serving, and the ritual may have cost him a match Friday at Key Biscayne, Fla.

The defending champion at the Sony Ericsson Open went into a funk after being warned for taking too much time between points, then blew a third-set lead to lose his opening match.

Qualifier Kevin Anderson, a 6-foot-7 former NCAA doubles champion at Illinois, beat the third-ranked Djokovic, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-4.

Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at this year’s Australian Open and was coming off a title at Indian Wells last week. But he struggled from the start against Anderson and was rattled by the warning from the chair umpire.

In the women’s draw, defending champion Serena Williams and top-ranked Justine Henin easily won their opening matches.

Williams, seeded eighth, defeated Edina Gallovits, 6-1, 6-2. Henin defeated Angelique Kerber, 6-4, 6-2.

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MOTOR RACING

Gordon easily wins pole at Martinsville

Jeff Gordon, driving a Chevrolet, had a fast lap of 96.288 mph to win the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody’s Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville, Va., Speedway.

Gordon’s lap easily beat Denny Hamlin (95.757) for the 65th pole of his career, the fourth-best total in NASCAR history.

Scott Dixon won the pole position for tonight’s Indy Racing League season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He had a four-lap average of 213.341 mph in his Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara.

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GOLF

Baird takes charge at New Orleans event

Briny Baird shot a three-under-par 69 to take a one-stroke lead over Peter Lonard and Jay Williamson in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at Avondale, La.

Baird, winless on the PGA Tour, birdied the last two holes to finish at eight-under 136 on the TPC Louisiana. Lonard shot a 70, and Williamson had a 69.

Angela Stanford followed her course-record and career-best 10-under 62 on Thursday with a three-under 69 and has a one-shot lead over Lorena Ochoa at the Safeway International at Superstition Mountain, Ariz. She is at 13-under 131.

Ochoa, the defending champion and world’s top-ranked female golfer, shot a 67. She began the day three strokes back.

Lonnie Nielsen, a career club professional, birdied six of his last 10 holes for a six-under 66 and one-shot lead at the Ginn Championship in Palm Coast, Fla. Bernhard Langer and Fred Funk were at 67 at Ocean Hammock Golf Club.

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COLLEGE SWIMMING

Relay record helps Arizona take lead

Arizona’s Jean Basson, Darian Townsend, Joel Greenshields and Nicolas Nilo won the 800-yard freestyle relay in a meet-record 6:12.85 to help the Wildcats take a commanding lead after the second day of the NCAA Division I men’s championships at Federal Way, Wash.

Arizona has 376 points. Texas is second with 285.

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OLYMPIC SOFTBALL

Fernandez left off U.S. team roster

Lisa Fernandez, a three-time Olympic champion and perhaps softball’s signature star for more than a decade, did not make the U.S. team’s final 15-player roster for the Beijing Games.

The 37-year-old Fernandez was named a replacement player on the American team, which will try to win its fourth consecutive gold medal.

U.S. Coach Mike Candrea kept only three pitchers: returning gold medalists Jennie Finch and Cat Osterman, as well as first-time Olympian Monica Abbott.

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SOCCER

Brazil’s Romario decides to retire

Romario announced his retirement, ending two decades at the pinnacle of Brazil’s national sport.

The 42-year-old striker told Rio de Janeiro’s O Dia newspaper that he was out of shape and physically unable to return after months of inactivity.

Romario starred for PSV Eindhoven and FC Barcelona and led Brazil to its fourth World Cup title in 1994.

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MISCELLANY

Britain wins another cycling gold medal

Britain won its fifth gold medal of the world track cycling championships at Manchester, England

The team of Rebecca Romero, Wendy Houvenaghel and Joanna Rowsell beat the world record twice -- in qualifying and in the final -- to defeat Ukraine in the women’s pursuit.

Their time in the final was 3 minutes 22.415 seconds. The previous mark of 3:27.438 was set by Ukraine in January.

A Miami judge has postponed the trial of four men accused in the slaying of Washington Redskins All-Pro safety Sean Taylor until August.

Defense attorneys and prosecutors said they weren’t prepared for trial to begin April 7 as initially planned. It was rescheduled for Aug. 25.

Taylor was shot during a botched robbery attempt at his Miami home in November.

Tampa Bay Lightning Coach John Tortorella will coach Team USA in the world hockey championships in May in Quebec and Nova Scotia.