Doha is hoping for a headline-grabbing final between Noak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the ATP Qatar Open next Saturday, but the chances of such a meeting may not be as strong as would seem.
While the ATP 250 event would stand to offer a clear path to a final for the top two ranked players in tennis, Nadal, the holder of 14 grand slam titles, sounded unusually downbeat about his ability to quickly recover from an appendix operation on Sunday, and perhaps also worries about a troublesome back.
Nadal looked rusty as he fell 6-2, 6-0 to Andy Murray in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship semi-finals on Friday before beating Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the third-place play-off.
Asked whether the result was important to him this week, Nadal said philosophically: “The result is sport, the result is life.”
“The more matches I can play the better for my health,” he said. “If I am able to win a couple of matches it will be fantastic. If not, I am ready to accept everything, and that I will need to take time.
“I hope to be competitive soon. It’s not an ideal situation in which to be trying to win a title again. If I can win a couple of matches, maybe the feeling will be different for me.”
It may help Nadal that his first match is against a qualifier and his first significant test may not come until Thursday when he could play Leonardo Mayer, the eighth-seeded Argentine, or Andreas Seppi, the talented Italian.
If he does reach Friday’s semi-finals he could play either Richard Gasquet, the Frenchman who won the Doha title two years ago, or Tomas Berdych, the third-seeded former Wimbledon finalist from the Czech Republic.
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Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
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.
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Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
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Rating: 2.5/5
