American former tennis star-turned-coach Michael Chang said Monday that his physical similarities and shared Asian heritage with Japanese tennis sensation Kei Nishikori have contributed to the success of their mentor-student partnership.
Nishikori’s career is on the rise following his star turn at the US open, where he defeated world No 1 Novak Djokovic to become the first Asian man to make a grand slam singles final.
Though he was crushed in the title match by Croatia’s Marin Cilic in straight sets, his strong showing vaulted Nishikori to a career-high eighth in the world.
“I think we have a lot of similarities which made it easier for me to decide to work with him,” Chang said on the sidelines off the Malaysian Open, where Nishikori is the clear favourite to win in his first appearance on the court since his US breakthrough.
Chang’s 1.75-metre (5ft 9in) stature is similar to Nishikori’s 1.78m, and both are know for their speed on the court.
“If he was 6ft 10in, it would be difficult to teach him some of the things that I’ve learnt on court. Kei has a great set of wheels, covers the court very quickly,” Chang, a grand slam champion at the 1989 French Open, told reporters.
The success of their partnership so far has raised hopes of a first grand slam win by an Asian male – Chang is ethnic Chinese but an American citizen – and a resulting boost to the Asian game similar to just-retired Chinese star Li Na’s ground-breaking women’s win at Roland Garros in 2011.
“Coming from an Asian heritage, there’s a similarity there as well. These have helped our relationship and also his game,” Chang said.
“I think it’s a unique situation. If you look at the history of men’s tennis, there haven’t been that many successful Asian players.”
Nishikori in turn credited Chang’s tutelage for his changing fortunes, and said his sights were now on breaking into the world top five.
The 24-year-old has won two titles and reached two runner-up finishes since Chang, 42, joined with Nishikori’s long-term handler Dante Bottini last December.
“We have been working together for nine months already, and you can see that my rankings and results are much better than last year,” Nishikori said.
“I am now in the top 10 and the next goal would be to break into the top five and win a grand slam.”
Nishikori is the highest-ranked player in the Malaysian Open, which kicked off main-draw play on Monday.
Malaysian organisers have said ticket sales for the US$1.02 million (Dh3.7m) men’s tournament have surged well past last year’s levels, citing the excitement surrounding the emerging Asian star.
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Political flags or banners
-
Bikes, skateboards or scooters
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
MEYDAN%20RACECARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E6pm%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EArabian%20Adventures%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(Dirt)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E6.35pm%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEmirates%20Sky%20Cargo%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%2087%2C500%20(D)%202%2C000m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.10pm%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEmirates%20Holiday%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(TB)%20Dh82%2C500%20(D)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E7.45pm%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEmirates%20Skywards%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E8.20pm%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Emirates%20Airline%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh105%2C000%20(D)%201%2C600m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E8.55pm%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEmirates%20Airline%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh105%2C000%20(D)%201%2C900m%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E9.30pm%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEmirates.com%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB_%20Dh87%2C500%20(D)%201%2C200m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
