The star power for the seventh staging of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship has already been cemented with the news that Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be back in Abu Dhabi for the 2015 event.
The two best players in the world, who have claimed 14 of the past 18 majors and have won the past five tournaments at Zayed Sports City, should ensure the event continues to be one of the best attended in the UAE sports calendar.
The interesting thing to watch for now is who will be the four men to join Djokovic and Nadal for the action on January 1-3.
Traditionally, organisers have looked for players from the top 10, but this is proving to be a tumultuous year on the ATP circuit. The big four, who had dominated the rankings for the past five years, has been infiltrated by Stan Wawrinka, while Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov have both made breakthroughs into the top 10 this year.
Andy Murray, a top-four mainstay in recent years, is now down in 10th. Injury and poor form have dropped him to his worst ranking in six years. There is no guarantee, given he has not beaten a top-10 player in more than 12 months, that the Briton is going to bounce back.
Murray was the winner of the inaugural, 2008/09 event, but he lost in the first round in the past two appearances in Abu Dhabi, to Janko Tipsarevic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. While he is still a big name, organisers should look carefully at his form before approaching him to compete.
Wawrinka, the world No 4, competed for the first time in the 2013 event, and it would be a surprise if the Australian Open champion were not invited back.
The one player who would be a coup for the event would be Dimitrov. The Bulgarian has long been thought of as the next big thing in tennis, being labelled “Baby Fed”, due to his similarities to Roger Federer.
This year, Dimitrov, 23, has made his breakthrough. His run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon was full of great tennis, and the way he demolished defending champion Murray in the quarter-finals was particularly impressive.
The talent has been clear to see for some time, but now it is being turned into results, too, and his star is clearly on the rise. He would be a major addition to the tournament as a star of the future to go with the current greats on show.
Without knowing the availability and schedule of the players, and whether they would accept an invitation if they were asked, a strong six for the tournament now, in this writer’s mind, would be Djokovic, Nadal, Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych, Raonic and Dimitrov.
This is presuming that Federer, who has not played the past two Mubadala tournaments, will not be available again.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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.
Alita: Battle Angel
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Keean Johnson
Four stars
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
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The%20specs
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Griselda
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How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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THE%20SPECS
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