Andy Murray has given his clearest indication yet that he is on the verge of retirement after stating that he is unlikely to continue playing beyond this summer.
Murray has endured a difficult start to the season, losing six of eight matches, including his most recent on Wednesday in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships to fifth seed Ugo Humbert.
Ever since undergoing radical hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, the former world No 1 has struggled to recapture the form that led him to three Grand Slam titles, leading to near-constant speculation about his future.
Speaking after his 6-2, 6-4 loss to Humbert, Murray again addressed the talk surrounding his possible retirement, hinting that he is set to call it quits in the next few months.
"I'm likely not going to play past this summer," Murray, 36, said. "I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I'm bored of the question, to be honest. I'm not going to talk more about that between now and whenever the time comes for me to stop. But yeah, I don't plan on playing much past this summer."
That would suggest an appropriate swansong at Wimbledon, where Murray made history in 2013 as the first British male singles champion in 77 years. The Scot, who won his first major at the US Open in 2012, claimed his second Wimbledon crown in 2016.
Murray had hinted last month, after his first-round exit, that he had likely played his last Australian Open, a tournament where he has finished runner-up five times. The same is now set to be the case at the French Open in May. Murray has missed the past three French Opens in favour of longer preparation for the grass-court season, but with the end in sight, he is planning to return to Paris this year.
"The last few years I've tried to give myself better preparation for the grass season, but that also doesn't guarantee that you're going to play really well on the grass," he said. "I've had experiences through my career where I didn't play the French Open in 2013 and I won Wimbledon.
"I also played the French Open and did really well in 2016 [reaching the final]. I don't think it makes a huge difference if you get an extra week's practice or so on the grass. So yeah, I would like to play one more time."
A return to Roland Garros would provide ideal preparation for the Olympics, should Murray make the Great Britain team, as the tennis event will be held at the venue.
Murray is the only male player to win singles gold at successive Games, achieved at London 2012 and Rio 2016, but he insisted his plans to return to the French Open are not influenced by the Olympics.
"No, I like the tournament. I like playing at Roland Garros," he said. "Obviously, if you want to do well at the Olympics, you are probably going to have to play some tournaments and get matches in on the clay. Even if the Olympics was not after Wimbledon, I would still want to play it."
Murray has won a total of 46 singles titles in his career, including 14 at the Masters 1000 level – placing him fifth in the all-time standings – three Grand Slam titles, and the ATP Finals in 2016. He also led Great Britain to their first Davis Cup title in 79 years in 2015, winning a record-tying eight matches.
Murray's first-round win in Dubai against Denis Shapovalov was his 500th on hard courts, making him only the fifth player to achieve the feat on the ATP Tour, after Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
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Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
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Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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ARGYLLE
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
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4,872 matches
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2 Kuwaiti teams
MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
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Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
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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
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
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The five pillars of Islam
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
