Novak Djokovic has impressed with his basketball skills. AP
Novak Djokovic has impressed with his basketball skills. AP
Novak Djokovic has impressed with his basketball skills. AP
Novak Djokovic has impressed with his basketball skills. AP

Exhibition events fill void during tennis shutdown - but will any stick around when normality returns?


Reem Abulleil
  • English
  • Arabic

So many tennis exhibition events have been popping up on the calendar as of late, and if you can’t keep up, you’re not alone.

The sport’s official men’s and women’s tours are currently suspended through July 31 due to the coronavirus, but that only made way for a slew of unsanctioned tournaments and leagues to emerge in countries like the United States, Austria, Germany, Spain, France, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.

Last month, the UTR Pro Series featured a host of Florida-based WTA and ATP players, competing on a private court in West Palm Beach, with no access to spectators. Players were given their own set of marked balls and designated off-court areas, and were responsible for providing their own drinks and towels.

Last weekend, beIN Sports aired the Region of Valencia Tennis Challenge that saw Roberto Bautista Agut, Pablo Carreno Busta, Alex de Minaur and Pablo Andujar face off, also staged behind closed doors.

Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova and other Czech players took part in an exhibition event in Prague, while Berlin is hosting a grass-court event (July 13-15 at the Steffi Graf Stadium) and a hard-court event (July 17-19 at the hangar of Tempelhof Airport) featuring six men and six women, with a total prize pot of €200,000 (Dh831,000).

Most exhibitions have relied on players based in surrounding areas, but the Berlin events have Nick Kyrgios, who lives in Australia, listed as one of its participants. No fans will be allowed to attend and electronic line calling will be used instead of line judges.

Andy Murray is set to make his first appearance of the year in the 'Battle of the Brits' six-day event (June 23-28) that will feature Britain's top-ranked male players at the LTA's National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. The singles and doubles tournament will raise funds for NHS Charities Together.

In Charleston, South Carolina, sharing the same dates as the British event, 16 women, including Sofia Kenin and Bianca Andreescu, will participate in the Credit One Bank Invitational. A portion of the tournament’s proceeds will go to MUSC Health’s healthcare workers.

Novak’s Balkan trip

World No 1 Novak Djokovic has organised a multi-stop, month-long Adria Tour that is slated to kick off this Saturday in his home city of Belgrade.  The charity tournament will then move to Zadar, Croatia (June 20-21), before hitting Montenegro (June 27-28), Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina (July 3-4), and concluding with an exhibition match against Damir Dzumhur in Sarajevo on July 5.

Djokovic will be joined by the likes of world No 3 Dominic Thiem, world No 7 Alexander Zverev, and world No 19 Grigor Dimitrov, along with Croatian duo Borna Coric and Marin Cilic, as well as Serbians Filip Krajinovic, Dusan Lajovic and Viktor Troicki.

Djokovic’s younger brother Djordje is listed as the Adria Tour director, on the event’s Instagram account, while Djokovic’s coach, Croatian great Goran Ivanisevic is the tournament director for the Zadar leg.

Each stop of the tour will follow a round-robin system, with players split into two pools, and competing in a ‘Fast 4’ format (the first player to win four games wins the set).

There will also be doubles matches, and the biggest surprise is that former world No 1 Jelena Jankovic, who has not played a match since 2017 but has not officially retired yet, will take part in a mixed doubles clash alongside Djokovic, against their fellow Serbs Olga Danilovic and Nenad Zimonjic.

According to the Adria Tour website, “the aim to raise funds for humanitarian projects across the region, including the Novak Djokovic Foundation’s Early Childhood Development and Education programmes. At the same time, the organisers wish to help tennis players get back in shape and gain access to some competitive tennis in the Covid-19 situation”.

All participants are believed to have committed to donating their prize money to charities of their choosing, and the tournament announced that the first 1,000 tickets for the Belgrade leg sold out within seven minutes.

Yes, it appears there will be fans at the event (although conditions may vary from one city to another), but organisers say a one-metre distance between each spectator will be enforced.

Ivanisevic told Nova S TV that a 9,000-seat stadium is being constructed for the Zadar event, “and I hope that half of that capacity will be allowed for the crowd to see the best players in the world”.

Patrick’s project

Patrick Mouratoglou. AP Photo
Patrick Mouratoglou. AP Photo

Over in the South of France, Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of Serena Williams, is hosting a league dubbed the ‘Ultimate Tennis Showdown’ that will be streamed on its own online platform and will take place over five consecutive weekends, starting this Saturday, at his academy.

Initially scheduled for June, but pushed back due to coronavirus restrictions in France, the UTS is branded as a “revolutionary” event, that aims to draw in a younger fan-base to the sport.

With a tagline that promises “live tennis like never before”, the league has three top-10 players signed up – Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini and David Goffin – as well as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Lucas Pouille, Alexei Popyrin (whose father Alex is a co-founder of UTS), Richard Gasquet, Benoit Paire and Dustin Brown. A 10th and final player is yet to be announced.

Mouratoglou, 50, hopes to inject the competition with more emotion – unlike on tour, players will not be sanctioned for on-court outbursts – and will add to the fan experience by allowing players to be questioned by live-stream viewers during changeovers.

Ten matches will be streamed every weekend and the prize money will be split 70 per cent to the winner, and 30 per cent to the loser. Mouratoglou pledged a portion of proceedings from advertising and broadcast to help lower-ranked players affected by this coronavirus-enforced hiatus.

What happens when tennis tours restart?

Roger Federer celebrates after winning the 2019 Laver Cup. AFP
Roger Federer celebrates after winning the 2019 Laver Cup. AFP

While most exhibitions appear to be one-off events that have found space in a previously jam-packed calendar, and aim to fill a void until professional tennis can officially resume, you wonder if this sudden surge can have a lasting impact on the ATP and WTA tours.

Will any of these events want to stick around, even when the sport officially restarts? Mouratoglou certainly plans on staging the UTS in the future, opening it up to more players, and taking it to more locations (he mentions Australia, Asia and the United States as prospective targets).

We’ve seen how the introduction of the Laver Cup (the brainchild of Roger Federer and his management company), which takes place over just one single weekend each September, has ruffled feathers by affecting the ATP tournaments scheduled at the same time (it has since been vaguely brought under the ATP umbrella but does not award players ranking points), and leading to potential withdrawals from ATP events the following weeks in Asia.

Could this exhibitions frenzy lead to more Laver Cup-like predicaments?

Exhibitions are nothing new in tennis. They’ve been a very lucrative business for players for many decades and are mostly successful when they introduce the sport to a community that wouldn’t get live professional tennis otherwise.

Take the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi for example. Community and fan engagement is at the heart of that event. Which makes you wonder: if such exhibitions are staged behind closed doors, what is the real value in it, if it's not purely used as a tool for raising funds for charity? Are fans really watching live-streams of Fast 4 matches on their devices to get their tennis fix? Viewership numbers would be helpful to shed some light on whether these events are embraced by fans.

At a time when players are rushing to sign up for such unsanctioned events, the US Open is receiving pushback from the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal regarding the circumstances and restrictions that might be enforced in order for it to actually take place.

A decision on whether the US Open will happen is expected mid-June. Restrictions being considered include having no fans onsite, limiting players to travel to the tournament with just one member of their team, and having players stay at hotels near the airport, and get tested for coronavirus multiple times during their stay.

Djokovic has described such limitations as "extreme" and cannot fathom going to a Grand Slam with just one staff member. It's worth noting that many of the lower-ranked players cannot afford to travel with large teams, and this could, for once, level the playing field for all competitors at the US Open.

Nadal believes it would be unfair to stage a Grand Slam if some countries still have travel restrictions in place that would prevent a player from making it to the tournament.

The Spaniard has a point, and the idea of a Grand Slam being played in New York end of August, right now, sounds quite ambitious. Yet with players crossing continents to take part in exhibitions, you also understand why any official tournament is doing everything in its power to take place – within the current safety guidelines – in order to avoid the loss of millions of dollars, and to give lower-ranked players a much-needed opportunity to earn money.

One thing everyone can agree on: tennis, whenever it returns, will be a very different experience for all involved.

Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners

Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta​​​​​​​
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)

SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%20Supercharged%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20400hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20430Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh450%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
88 Video's most popular rentals

Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.  

Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.

Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

The candidates

Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive

Ali Azeem, business leader

Tony Booth, professor of education

Lord Browne, former BP chief executive

Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist

Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist

Dr Mark Mann, scientist

Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner

Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister

Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Scoreline:

Everton 4

Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', ​​​​​​​Digne 56', Walcott 64'

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)

The specs: 2018 Jeep Compass

Price, base: Dh100,000 (estimate)

Engine: 2.4L four-cylinder

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Power: 184bhp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 237Nm at 3,900rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 9.4L / 100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

Ferrari
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Mann%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adam%20Driver%2C%20Penelope%20Cruz%2C%20Shailene%20Woodley%2C%20Patrick%20Dempsey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ant-Man%20and%20the%20Wasp%3A%20Quantumania
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPeyton%20Reed%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Paul%20Rudd%2C%20Evangeline%20Lilly%2C%20Jonathan%20Majors%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press

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.

The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE

Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000

Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6

Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms

While you're here
Score

Third Test, Day 1

New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat

Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

THE CLOWN OF GAZA

Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah 

Starring: Alaa Meqdad

Rating: 4/5

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Four-day collections of TOH

Day             Indian Rs (Dh)        

Thursday    500.75 million (25.23m)

Friday         280.25m (14.12m)

Saturday     220.75m (11.21m)

Sunday       170.25m (8.58m)

Total            1.19bn (59.15m)

(Figures in millions, approximate)

The%20specs
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Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.

SPEC%20SHEET
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Need to know

The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours. 

The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.

When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend  are  January-February and September-October.  Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.

Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.

The Pope's itinerary

Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport


Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport

Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

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