Twelve months ago, when Angelique Kerber started her Australian Open campaign, few really took notice of her, especially not after her first round performance against the world No 64 from Japan Misaki Doi, where she had to save a match point to survive.
Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka were creating all the buzz at the time, and Kerber, flying under the radar, found few people championing her cause even after dumping Azarenka out in straight sets at the quarter-final stage.
In the final against overwhelming favourite Williams, though, Kerber thrived as the underdog, battling to a victory that launched her march to the No 1 spot in 2016.
Now, 12 months later, the roles are reversed. She had nothing to lose back then. Now, she has points to defend and has to live with the constant scrutiny that follows the top-ranked player.
Also, for the first time in her career, Kerber is the hunted and, in her first two tournaments of the year, she seems to have struggled to cope with that.
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■ Men's preview: The Big Four not the only ones in contention
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In Brisbane, where she lost in the final to Azarenka 12 months ago, Kerber was stretched to the third set by No 271 Ashleigh Barty before being dumped out by No 14 Elina Svitolina in the second round.
In Sydney, she lost to No 26 Daria Kasatkina in straight sets after a first-round bye.
Kerber’s Australian Open preparations, then, have been far from ideal and the German knows it will only get tougher in Melbourne.
For the first time in her career that spans 36 majors, Kerber will arrive at a grand slam as defending champion and the German can feel the difference.
“The pressure is for sure a little bit higher than last year,” Kerber was quoted as saying on the Australian Open website.
“I have much more things to do this year than 12 months ago. Everywhere I am going, I go to the restaurant and airport or whatever, it’s a little bit bigger than it was before.”
That pressure is a heavy burden to carry. A glance at the list of the women’s grand slam winners shows few, barring Serena, have successfully defended their crown the following year.
Azarenka did it at the Australian Open (2012 and 2013), Justine Henin at the French (2005, 2006 and 2007), Venus Williams at Wimbledon (2007 and 2008) and Kim Clijsters at the US Open (2009 and 2010).
In that list, Azarenka is the only first-time grand slam champion to come back and defend her crown.
So Kerber has an enormous task ahead and her mettle will surely be tested.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Scotland 59 (Tries: Hastings (2), G Horne (3), Turner, Seymour, Barclay, Kinghorn, McInally; Cons: Hastings 8)
Russia 0
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
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The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press