Omar Behroozian, the UAE’s leading tennis player, has a library dominated by books about famous sports personalities that he turns to for inspiration. “Reading has helped me a lot,” says Behroozian, 34, who played his first Davis Cup match in 1996 and has appeared in 71 ties since. “Being an athlete myself, I try as much as I can to read books about the lives of different athletes, then try to take all the important stuff I read and apply it to myself.”
Inspired by tales of other sportsmen and their challenges and successes, Behroozian has managed to retain his focus and his place as the No 1 tennis player in the country, despite a lack of competition and opportunities to play abroad. He has been a regular feature at the Dubai Tennis Championships alongside legends including Serena Williams and Roger Federer, and putting up spirited fights whenever he had an opportunity in the main draw.
“Reading is important to me as it always broadens your knowledge,” he says. “It is a way of learning a lot of new stuff, especially for me as an athlete. It is a way of getting to know a lot of things that could help me. Reading also makes you see things from different perspectives. So it’s very important – and my advice to today’s kids would be to make sure they cultivate this habit of reading, in this day and age where it seems reading books isn’t that important. It has definitely helped me a lot, either to gain knowledge or even to relax during tournaments.”
Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis by Brad Gilbert
This book is a must-read for tennis players. It is one of the tennis classics.
My Life: Queen of the Court by Serena Williams
There are few stories more inspirational than that of the Williams sisters, not just in sports but beyond.
Theo: Growing Up Fast by Theo Walcott
This is an amazing story, in Walcott’s own words, about his meteoric rise as a footballer.
Sol Campbell: The Authorised Biography by Simon Astaire
Again, an incredible story, about his rise from the streets of East London to one of the finest defenders ever to wear an England football jersey.
My Defence by Ashley Cole
I am an Arsenal fan and was curious to know Cole’s side of the story about the tapping scandal.
Match info
Arsenal 0
Manchester City 2
Sterling (14'), Bernardo Silva (64')
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Company%20Profile
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
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