Ana Ivanovic is so superstitious when it comes to tennis that she refuses to walk on the lines of the courts at Roland Garros. Two years on since her French Open final victory over Dinara Safina, however, and it could be comfortably deemed more appropriate for the Serbian to step on every line possible. Twice.
For surely, the 22-year-old must do something - anything at all - to break the dreadful and disastrous run of defeats she has endured throughout the past two years?
Yesterday's dismal, error-ridden display against Russia's Alisa Kleybanova in the second round saw her well beaten 6-3, 6-0, but the most saddening statistic was that in the second set Ivanovic had break points on every one of her opponent's service games. She failed to take advantage; the belief having evidently been drained from her with more force than the rain which lashed against Court One for four-and-a-half hours beforehand.
There were tears when the then-20-year-old lifted the French Open trophy - her first and thus far only major title - and few would be surprised if Ivanovic was weeping once more in Paris last night. Her fall from grace has been cataclysmic. Following her victory at Roland Garros, much was expected of her as she approached Wimbledon the following month as the world's top-ranked player.
The action at the All-England Club, though, did not unfurl as expected. The No 1 seed toiled for three hours and 24 minutes to progress past Nathalie Dechy, the French veteran, in the first round before slumping 6-1, 6-4 to Zheng Jie, the Chinese wildcard. It was the shock of the tournament and Ivanovic has never fully recovered.
She has managed just two finals in two years - first in Linz where she beat Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-1 and then the following year at Indian Wells where she lost to the same opponent 7-6 (5), 6-2.
In grand slams, she has failed to progress past the fourth round since her victory in Paris. When you consider in the four majors directly preceding her triumph she had managed two finals (the French and the Australian) and a semi-final (Wimbledon) the only logical explanation for a young, talented woman to fail so drastically must be psychological.
And so when Ivanovic appeared at Roland Garros earlier this week exuding confidence and billing the iconic venue as the perfect location for a revival of some long-awaited joie de vivre, it was not unnerving to believe her. She had begun her career playing on clay courts and has a fond relationship with the French tournament that dates back to 2005 when, aged just 17, she beat Amelie Mauresmo, the home favourite, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.
But it was never going to be easy. In 2008, she was touted as the future of women's tennis and a natural heir to the injured Maria Sharapova; this week her quest for success was made all the more difficult by the fact that, now ranked a lowly No 42 in the world, she arrived unseeded.
And yesterday, much like last year when she slumped to Victoria Azarenka in the round of 16, for all her pre-game poise, she failed to turn up. Her error-strewn serve - including a pair of double faults in the crucial sixth game of the first set - and her battling instincts, which once served her so well, were as invisible as Venus Williams's on-court underwear.
It is unlikely Ana Ivanovic will disappear from the limelight, but the superstitious Serbian needs to stop fluffing her lines and not worry about stepping on them.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Mountain%20Boy
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
Andor
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Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Timeline
1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line
1962
250 GTO is unveiled
1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company
1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens
1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made
1987
F40 launched
1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent
2002
The Enzo model is announced
2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi
2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled
2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives
2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company
2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street
2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Kill%20
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The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30, December 1-2
International Vets
Christina Noble Children’s Foundation fixtures
Thursday, November 30:
10.20am, Pitch 3, v 100 World Legends Project
1.20pm, Pitch 4, v Malta Marauders
Friday, December 1:
9am, Pitch 4, v SBA Pirates
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The%20specs
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Afro%20salons
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200