It was a far cry from Wimbledon Centre Court or Rod Laver Arena.
When Marcos Baghdatis walked out onto Court 3 on the outskirts of the Aviation Club, barely 20 people were there to greet him before his Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship second-round match against Borna Coric of Croatia.
The inauspicious start, sadly, would be matched by an anti-climactic finish, one that summed up his fluctuating fortunes since he burst onto the scene nine years ago.
In 2006, armed with a booming forehand and a never-say-die attitude, an unknown Baghdatis took the ATP scene by storm and big things were predicted.
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Having caused a major surprise by dumping world No 3 Andy Roddick out of the Australian Open that January, the unseeded Cypriot came up against the unstoppable force that was Roger Federer in the final. There was no shame in losing in four sets to the Swiss legend, then already claiming his second title in Melbourne and his seventh grand slam title.
Five months later, Baghdatis showed this was no flash in the pan by beating Andy Murray and former champion Lleyton Hewitt to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon, where he lost to Rafa Nadal in straight sets.
Baghdatis hit No 8 in the rankings and looked set for a long successful career. It has certainly been long, and bumpy, but injuries have ensured that success was never replicated on that scale again.
He ended 2006 12th and 2007 16th. By the end of 2008 he was down to 98th and 2009 saw him in and out of the top 100 before a return to form took him back to 42, and into a fine 2010 in which he beat Federer and Nadal while both were at No 1.
At the start of 2010 he was ranked 20th in the world, but he has not been higher since. Last year he sank as low as 155.
On Wednesday in the Dubai afternoon sun, there was renewed hope for the world No 62 as he emerged with his trademark bandanna away from the attention of centre court where Andy Murray was mauling Joao Sousa.
Baghdatis hinted there would be more than mere big forehands by winning the first game with a delicate drop shot.
Fleetingly, a high-quality match beckoned against Coric, who Novak Djokovic had paid the highest compliment by saying he had reminded him of himself.
It was a false hope. This proved a monotonous slog of a tennis match, in which, for long periods, both players were more concerned with not losing points than winning them.
Coric, hardly justifying Djokovic’s lofty words, won the first set 6-4 in 53 minutes. It took an identical amount of time for Baghdatis to win the second set 6-3. But this was not a match to set pulses racing.
The crowd had grown throughout the afternoon but they were not being repaid with exciting tennis.
Things improved slightly in the third set as Baghdatis raced to a 4-1 lead after a vintage winner down the line, but Coric then dragged the match into an ill-fated tiebreaker.
After Baghdatis had lost another seemingly endless rally at 4-4, he collapsed to the ground in what initially looked like mock despair, but it soon became apparent he had a cramp.
To add to the confusion, the physio was not immediately on hand as the umpire announced Baghdatis had retired from the match. As so often in the past, injury had brought to an abrupt end another chapter in Baghdatis’s career.
Coric showed genuine concern for his opponent, but is nevertheless in the quarter finals against Murray. The new Djokovic’s day may still come.
For Baghdatis, it was a familiar old story.
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AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
THE%20SWIMMERS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESally%20El-Hosaini%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENathalie%20Issa%2C%20Manal%20Issa%2C%20Ahmed%20Malek%20and%20Ali%20Suliman%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
AL%20BOOM
%3Cp%20style%3D%22text-align%3Ajustify%3B%22%3E%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3B%26nbsp%3BDirector%3AAssad%20Al%20Waslati%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%20style%3D%22text-align%3Ajustify%3B%22%3E%0DStarring%3A%20Omar%20Al%20Mulla%2C%20Badr%20Hakami%20and%20Rehab%20Al%20Attar%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20ADtv%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%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.
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20Lorenz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Liam%20Neeson%2C%20Kerry%20Condon%2C%20Jack%20Gleeson%2C%20Ciaran%20Hinds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
