So, it will not be a British name inscribed on the Australian Open men's singles tennis trophy in Melbourne on Sunday evening.
That dwindling band of British sports fans who remember the great Fred Perry will remain the only ones to witness one of their own triumph on the courts Down Under. I hate to say I told you so, but I did try in a recent column to temper British hopes for Andy Murray.
But are we downhearted? I do not think so. The nagging fear that Murray may follow in the footsteps of previous British hopes Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, neither of whom ever managed to get beyond the last 16 of the Aussie Open, is not supported by his performances in Melbourne.
There was nothing in Murray's play to contradict the conventional wisdom that the Scotsman has made great strides in every aspect of his game; the technical, the physical, and the mental; and if we Brits wish to seek a silver lining behind the cloud we can comfort ourselves in the knowledge that Roger Federer competed in 17 grand slams before winning one. This was only Murray's 13th. .
The truly encouraging aspect of Murray's defeat was his reaction to it. He did not attempt to draw attention to the sore throat and headaches he suffered before his third-round win over Austria's Jurgen Melzer, nor did he make reference to the intense Melbourne heat. He paid generous tribute to his Spanish opponent.
That is tennis for you. You do not always beat players you are expected to beat. That, in short, was Murray's view, and it is one I share.
It is what makes tennis such a glorious game. I heard some clown on the radio the other day complaining about the scoring system.
He said he saw no reason for the second serve - "You don't get a chance to take a corner again in football if it doesn't work out, so why should you get another go in tennis?" were his words - and could not see the point in dividing a match up into games and sets, believing the points should be just totted up; 1-0, 2-0, and so on. Nonsense, of course.
It is the scoring system that makes tennis the glorious game it is. Say, for instance, a set is going with serve, and the favourite is comfortable at 40-15, when from nowhere the underdog plucks an unlikely passing shot, bringing the score to 40-30.
This could easily plant a seed of doubt in the favourite's mind, and before he knows it, the seed has sprouted, he has lost another point, and is fighting for his life.
Because what goes on between the ears is so vitally important in tennis. It means there are no guarantees in tennis, and that is what makes it endlessly fascinating.
Ten years ago, Premier League managers were asked to imagine they could take any one player from a rival team, and, if so, which player would it be?
Overwhelmingly, the answer came back: Ryan Giggs.
You can see why; a winger with pace to burn, an accurate crosser of the ball, and, what is more, a player not afraid to roll up his sleeves and graft. Also, despite having had a high-profile girlfriend or two, he seemed to have a knack of keeping himself out of the newspapers.
Now, at 35, Giggs is a bit-part player at Manchester United, but his form and attitude have been magnificent.
Against West Brom the other week, deep into the second half of a match already won, the winger raced back 80 yards to make a tackle.
In my opinion, he is the best midfielder of the Premier League era, and if the League's managers were asked again the question posed 10 years ago, I reckon one or two even now might think about Giggsy.
There is nothing more thrilling than a great sporting comeback, and the story of Kurt Warner, the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback about to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in tomorrow's Super Bowl, is one of the best.
He is 37 years old and his career was widely believed to be over when he was benched by the Cardinals at the start of the 2005 season.
Also, Warner has overcome the litany of injuries customary in American Football to put his body on the line once more, against the rough, tough defenders of the Pittsburgh Steelers in tomorrow's spectacular.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys the Rocky movies, or the new Mickey Rourke film The Wrestler, you will be rooting for him.
mkelner@thenational.ae
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Scoreline
Germany 2
Werner 9', Sane 19'
Netherlands 2
Promes 85', Van Dijk 90'
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neo%20Mobility%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20February%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abhishek%20Shah%20and%20Anish%20Garg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Logistics%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Delta%20Corp%2C%20Pyse%20Sustainability%20Fund%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
BIO
Favourite holiday destination: Turkey - because the government look after animals so well there.
Favourite film: I love scary movies. I have so many favourites but The Ring stands out.
Favourite book: The Lord of the Rings. I didn’t like the movies but I loved the books.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Hard rock. I actually also perform as a rock DJ in Dubai.
PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
