LONDON // Novak Djokovic’s dramatic fight to keep his Wimbledon title defence alive against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson was halted by fading light on Monday.
Djokovic, in danger of becoming the first top seed since Pete Sampras in 2001 to lose in the last 16, had recovered from two sets down to level the fourth round tie at 6-7 (6/8), 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-4 when play was suspended on Court 1.
With only 16 minutes remaining until sunset, All England Club officials opted against moving the match to Centre Court to play the final set.
Boos rang out from the capacity crowd as two-time champion Djokovic and 14th seed Anderson made their way off court.
World No 1 Djokovic will have to return on Tuesday, traditionally reserved for the women’s quarter-finals, to see if he can complete his epic recovery and secure a last eight tie against US Open champion Marin Cilic.
In other news, French Open champion Wawrinka is still going strong at Wimbledon. The fourth-seeded Swiss advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Goffin of Belgium 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 on Court 1.
Wawrinka also reached the quarter-finals at the All England Club last year, but he has never been any further.
To make it to the semi-finals, Wawrinka will have to beat Gasquet.
British No 3 seed Murray cut Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic down to size with a 7-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win to make the quarter-finals for the eighth successive year.
Karlovic, at 36 the oldest man to reach the last 16 in 39 years, fired 29 aces in the three-hour encounter, but that was well below par for a man who had blasted 136 in his first three rounds.
Murray hit 62 winners to the Croatian’s 75, but crucially only nine unforced errors to his rival’s 32.
“I came up with some good lobs and passing shots. I just needed to keep him low,” Murray said of his tactics of tackling the 6ft 11 ins Karlovic.
“It was an incredibly difficult match. It was mentally tiring because you just have to be ready when the chances come.”
Murray required seven set points to take the opener and just a single break for the second set. Karlovic saved one match point but was powerless on the second as Murray stretched his record over the Croatian to 6-0.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer is back in the quarter-finals. Federer beat 20th-seeded Roberta Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 on Centre Court, putting him in the quarters at the grass-court major for the 13th time.
Federer, who lost in last year’s final to Novak Djokovic, needs one more Wimbledon title to break the record he holds with Pete Sampras and 1880s player Willie Renshaw.
Federer was joined in the quarter-finals by Gilles Simon as the 12th-seeded Frenchman beat 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
Simon has only once before reached the quarter-finals at a major tournament (2009 Australian Open), and Wimbledon had been the worst grand slam for Simon, 30.
He got as far as the fourth round once before, also in 2009.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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Rennes v Lille (10pm)
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
