Back in November, playing in front of a record 27,448 fans at Lille’s Stade Pierre Mauroy, an “unbelievably happy” Roger Federer had called the Davis Cup final “a beautiful weekend for tennis”.
The Swiss’s presence in Lille had played a big part in creating that “great atmosphere” and he had fought the clock to be a part of that celebration, shrugging off a back problem that had forced him to withdraw from the final of the World Tour Finals against Novak Djokovic a week earlier.
Keen to get his hands around the only major trophy missing from his glorious CV, Federer wanted to be there in Lille and win it for the “boys” – meaning his teammates Stan Wawrinka, Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer.
As the team returned home from their first Davis Cup conquest, they were greeted by more than 10,000 cheering fans in Lausanne.
Those scenes of jubilation looked distant last week, though, as the defending champions lost 3-2 to Belgium.
Last year, Switzerland had a 17-time grand slam title winner and the reigning Australian Open champion on their team; last week, their top-ranked player was No 321, Adrien Bossel.
They had No 292 Yann Marti on the list as well, but he reportedly walked out in a huff after not being picked for Friday’s singles.
As all this drama played out in Liege, Federer was in Hollywood, being feted by a sponsor for crossing the 1,000-win mark. Later, he flew out to New York for a lucrative exhibition match against Grigor Dimitrov at Madison Square Garden.
“I have played for so long and I think by winning it [Davis Cup] I can finally do whatever I please, to be quite honest,” Federer said in Dubai last month as he explained his decision to give the Davis Cup a miss.
“It’s been a big burden for me throughout my career and one of the things that have caused more difficulties in my life than many other things, I must say, because I always feel there is so much guilt put on you from the federation or from the ITF more so than anybody else. So I’m happy I was able to finally tick that off and do it altogether.”
Mission accomplished, Federer, who has appeared in 26 Davis Cup ties since 1999 for a 50-17 win-loss record, seems to have no love left for the Davis Cup and his words reflect the dwindling credibility of the biggest annual team competition in the world.
When one of the greatest players of all time says playing in the Davis Cup was a “burden”, then the mandarins at the International Tennis Federation need to wake up and take notice because Federer is not alone in holding such an opinion.
The ITF bosses need to sit down with the players and work out ways to restore Davis Cup to its former glory.
If franchisee-based exhibitions, such as the International Premier Tennis League, can convince the top stars to cut short their off-season, then there is no reason why ITF cannot get them to play in a prestigious tournament for their nations.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Chelsea 2 Burnley 3
Chelsea Morata (69'), Luiz (88')
Burnley Vokes (24', 43'), Ward (39')
Red cards Cahill, Fabregas (Chelsea)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
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Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
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Result
Tottenhan Hotspur 2 Roma 3
Tottenham: Winks 87', Janssen 90 1'
Roma 3
D Perotti 13' (pen), C Under 70', M Tumminello 90 2"
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m
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8.50pm The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Majestic Thunder
7.05pm Commanding
7.40pm Mark Of Approval
8.15pm Mulfit
8.50pm Gronkowski
9.25pm Walking Thunder
10pm Midnight Sands
RESULT
Copa del Rey, semi-final second leg
Real Madrid 0
Barcelona 3 (Suarez (50', 73' pen), Varane (69' OG)
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
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The biog
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Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
THE SPECS
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Transmission: 6-speed manual
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David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
