Roger Federer took a leaf out of Mark Twain's book yesterday and issued a strong message to those waiting to write his tennis obituary that reports of his demise are greatly exaggerated.
The Swiss maestro is just one match away from confounding his critics and winning yet another grand slam title - his 13th - after he produced one of his best displays of an unproductive year to deal with the world No 3 Novak Djokovic and qualify for his fifth successive US Open final.
Having won the previous four - the last of them against Djokovic a year ago - Federer is on a 34-match winning streak on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows and is now determined to emulate his tremendous achievement of winning five straight titles at Wimbledon, where he was finally dethroned by Rafael Nadal in July.
He and Nadal also contested the final at the French Open a month earlier - Nadal humiliating Federer that day on the red clay - but there were considerable doubts last night that Nadal, the new world No 1, will be on the opposite side of the net in Arthur Ashe Stadium for today's delayed final.
Nadal was probably glad to be sent hurrying to the locker room midway through his semi-final against Andy Murray as he trailed the inspired Scotsman by two sets, although he was a break up in the third.
Weather permitting, they were due to resume yesterday afternoon - early this morning in the UAE - to contest the right to take on Federer. The predicted weather interruptions have worked significantly in favour of Federer, who was able to recharge his batteries for an extra day after his 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 conquest of Djokovic.
Federer was delighted to have come through a demanding encounter with an opponent who had complained of fatigue earlier in the week after battling through two successive five-setters.
Federer would have swapped places with Djokovic in the world rankings if he had lost.
"I always knew it was going to be difficult because Novak has been playing very well on hard courts for the last 18 months," he said.
Federer's confidence going into the final is probably higher than at any time during this frustrating year which has so far yielded only two titles from 14 tournaments.
"I definitely had moments during this match where I thought 'this is how I would like to play every time'," he said.
"Everything was in good shape: half-volleys, passing shots, serving, putting the pressure on, playing the wind and using it to my advantage.
"All of those things. So it was very nice to get that feeling back." The key to a welcome morale-boosting victory for Federer was the third set - "I think I broke his will as well when I got that set" - to take a 2-1 set lead.
Djokovic did not dispute that as he came to terms with his disappointment.
"Overall, it's been a very exhausting tournament mentally and physically for me ," he said.
"Roger deserved to win but I was just a little disappointed from my side that I wasn't fit enough to give him a challenge."
At the start of this year, this was regarded as the tournament where Federer would break Pete Sampras's record of 14 grand slams.
He remains two behind the American after his failures in Melbourne and London - he was always second favourite to Nadal in Paris - but has not given up hope.
"The Pete thing is obviously still very much alive and everything is possible," he added.
"But at the moment I'd like to focus on winning five in a row here.
"If I win, it's great. I'm back in the race and things aren't that bad like everybody's saying."
wjohnson@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
