DUBAI // Andy Murray's decision to pull out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has come as a big disappointment for the organisers, but they are confident of an exciting tournament with Roger Federer returning after two years away.
Murray, who lost the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic and was beaten by Marcos Baghdatis in Rotterdam last week, pulled out yesterday, citing a wrist injury.
"Andy would like to apologise to both the tournament and its fans," a statement on his website said. The Briton, who is ranked No 5 in the world, faced criticism in Dubai last year after saying that he was using the tournament to experiment with his game.
In a first-round defeat to Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic, he kept charging the net at virtually every point and tried some impossible shots.
"Yes it is disappointing, but then not so much," said Salah Tahlak, the tournament director. "Last year he was here and he was not well.
"As a tournament, we do invest a lot of money in the promotion of the tournament, for both the men and women. We spend a lot of money, including on the banners that you see all around the stadium. It is all done for the players.
"So yes it is disappointing for the tournament and the fans as well. They buy tickets to come and watch these players.
"A lot of people come to watch, say, Roger Federer. Many of them will come to watch Novak Djokovic. Similarly a lot of people must have bought tickets to watch Andy. There is a big British expatriate community here so they will surely be upset and disappointed.
"It is easy for them to just say they have some injury and pull out. But for the tournament and the fans, there is a lot of disappointment.
"Anyway, we have other top players. We have Federer [the world No 1] and Djokovic [the world No 3], and we have a lot of other top players.
"So we are looking forward to an exciting tournament, especially with Federer returning
"He missed the last two years, so it will be great to have him back. He won here for three years in a row. I am sure he will also be looking forward to getting his title back."
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
The biog
Hobbies: Salsa dancing “It's in my blood” and listening to music in different languages
Favourite place to travel to: “Thailand, as it's gorgeous, food is delicious, their massages are to die for!”
Favourite food: “I'm a vegetarian, so I can't get enough of salad.”
Favourite film: “I love watching documentaries, and am fascinated by nature, animals, human anatomy. I love watching to learn!”
Best spot in the UAE: “I fell in love with Fujairah and anywhere outside the big cities, where I can get some peace and get a break from the busy lifestyle”
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)