LONDON // Serena Williams has called on fans to support her sister Venus when the two five-time Wimbledon champions meet in the fourth round tomorrow.
The sisters, who have 27 major titles between them, will be on opposing sides of the net for the sixth time at Wimbledon and for the 26th time in their careers.
Venus, 35, thrashed Aleksandra Krunic to reach the last 16, while Serena, 33, had to survive an almighty scare against Britain’s Heather Watson before guaranteeing the first all-Williams tie at Wimbledon since 2009.
Since Serena won that final clash six years ago, the sisters’ paths have diverged with the younger sibling putting herself among the all-time greats by winning 20 grand slam titles.
In contrast, Venus has slumped down the rankings as she fights a constant battle with auto-immune disease Sjogren’s syndrome that often leaves her exhausted.
As a result, Serena said Venus’s struggles deserve the sympathy of the All England Club crowd if they have to pick sides. “I expect more people to be rooting for Venus,” Serena said. “I would be rooting for Venus. She’s been through so much. She’s had a wonderful story. She’s been so inspiring to me; she’s just an incredible individual.”
Venus returned the compliment, claiming she would support Serena if she were a neutral bystander tomorrow.
“That’s interesting, I’ll probably be cheering for her,” Venus said when told of Serena’s desire for the crowd to support her.
“I haven’t given any thought to the crowd really. There’s no such thing as giving up for me in my life. But also for her, she’s been through so much.
“You see players that continue to talk about injuries that are like 9,000 years old. She never complained once. You have to give her credit for that.”
After four Wimbledon finals and a semi-final between the sisters, this will be their earliest meeting on the south-west London grass.
On the surface, world No 1 Serena, chasing her fourth successive major crown and 21st of her career, is the clear favourite to secure her 15th career victory against 16th seed Venus. But, regardless of the result, Serena said seven-time major winner Venus has already left a great legacy as a “pioneer” for both the sport and women’s rights.
When asked to chart Venus’s tennis legacy, Serena said: “Where do I start? She’s done so much for this sport.
“It’s just been amazing for me to follow in her footsteps in terms of getting equal prize money here, just stepping up to the plate and being that person.”
Major duels have never sat easy in the Williams family and, with their meeting just days away, Serena conceded time has not eased those conflicting emotions.
“It’s unfortunate that it’s so soon, but we’re going to do the best that we can,” she said.
“She’s my sister today, she’s my sister next week, she’s my sister next year; I think that’s a little more important than a match.
“I just don’t know how I’m going to do, to be honest. I’m playing the toughest player I’ve played in women’s tennis.”
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Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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.”
