Tennis fans turn out in their droves in Dubai



DUBAI // The Serbians came first, in bright red T-shirts and carrying their flags. The Cypriots, Indians and Russians followed, filling the vacant seats that became increasingly rare with every serve and passing shot.

By the time the Swiss contingent arrived, centre court was packed. It seemed a global village, with the young and the old jostling for space; men and women were out in equal numbers, all dressed in their national colours.

They cheered on their favourites, but almost all were waiting for the Swiss maestro. The anticipation was palpable and the fans rose in unison to welcome Roger Federer, who had been missing from the tournament for the past two years.

A roar erupted as he walked out, waving his hand and adjusting his bandanna. With every seat taken, hundreds who arrived late were left standing.

"Very busy," said Murad Qassemov from Uzbekistan. "And all this for just one man."

Last week, the women's championship was struggling to get a fraction of this number at the turnstiles for the opening rounds. "This is the real tennis," said a cheeky German fan.

Of course, his comments were not just idle male chauvinism. The women's tournaments had most of the top-ranked players, but was lacking in star quotient. There was no Kim Clijsters, and Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams had withdrawn; Serena Williams is yet to return from her foot injury.

The men's tournament is also missing big names. There is no Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray pulled out last week. But Djokovic is here and, of course, Federer is back. These two are enough to keep the box office buzzing anywhere in the world.

"I am here to enjoy and have fun," said David Kalunde from Uganda. "Of course, I am also here to watch the top guys, especially Federer and Djokovic.

"I have tickets for the final too and I hope both of them make it. It would be perfect … to see them playing against each other, two of the world's best players."

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World Cup final

Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region

England v South Africa Test series:

First Test: at Lord's, England won by 211 runs

Second Test: at Trent Bridge, South Africa won by 340 runs

Third Test: at The Oval, July 27-31

Fourth Test: at Old Trafford, August 4-8

How to help

Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:

2289 - Dh10

2252 - Dh50

6025 - Dh20

6027 - Dh100

6026 - Dh200

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FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)

Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon

Plan to boost public schools

A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.

It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.

Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.

Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.

Brief scores:

England: 290 & 346

Sri Lanka: 336 & 243

Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.


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