Roger Federer has won four previous times at Indian Wells, and will seek to begin a march to a fifth title beginning on Thursday March 6, 2014. Marwan Naamani / AFP
Roger Federer has won four previous times at Indian Wells, and will seek to begin a march to a fifth title beginning on Thursday March 6, 2014. Marwan Naamani / AFP
Roger Federer has won four previous times at Indian Wells, and will seek to begin a march to a fifth title beginning on Thursday March 6, 2014. Marwan Naamani / AFP
Roger Federer has won four previous times at Indian Wells, and will seek to begin a march to a fifth title beginning on Thursday March 6, 2014. Marwan Naamani / AFP

‘My best tennis is around the corner’ says Federer going for fifth Indian Wells crown


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Roger Federer will seek to back up his Dubai title win on Saturday with a record fifth Indian Wells crown starting this week which if successful would be his 79th career title.

Federer, though, will face a top class field with defending champion Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the top seeds.

The $12 million (Dh44m) ATP and WTA hardcourt event begins on Wednesday for the women – where Maria Sharapova is the defending champion – and Thursday for the men.

Federer won titles at Indian Wells from 2004-2006 and again in 2012 and showed top form in reaching the Australian Open semi-finals and taking his sixth Dubai crown which included beating Djokovic in the semi-finals and coming from behind to beat Tomas Berdych in the final.

“I think this is how you win your first title again after a while, and then hopefully from here on it’s easier, especially closing out,” Federer said.

“There is a lot of pressure. Sometimes I have been disappointed with my play when it really mattered. I was able to deliver when I had to. I was able to come up with the goods. It was one of those tournaments I kind of need this way right now.”

The 32-year-old Swiss star will have Stefan Edberg with him as coach, one of four former Indian Wells winners on hand to guide others, with Michael Chang helping Japan’s Kei Nishikori, Boris Becker working with Djokovic and Ivan Ljubicic coaching Canada’s Milos Raonic.

“It has just been nice spending time with him,” Federer said. “It’s clearly inspiring at this point just hearing him speak about the game.”

Federer battled nagging injuries much of last year but sees himself in a strong position to go far in events and add to his record total of 17 men’s Grand Slam titles, the most recent of them in 2012 at Wimbledon.

And based upon hard work in the off-season, Federer says he has a new spark of confidence.

“I feel I am in good enough shape at least now and that’s very encouraging,” he said.

“I feel my best tennis is around the corner. I’ve said that quite a few times, but I feel like this time it’s really the case. I wake up with zero pain. I’m excited playing tournaments. It’s a good start to the season.”

Nadal, who has 13 career Grand Slam titles, will try to match Federer as a four-time Indian Wells champion, having won in 2007 and 2009 as well as last year.

Djokovic, the 2008 and 2011 Indian Wells winner, will also be a contender, as will Berdych, Britain’s Andy Murray and Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka, in his first event since capturing his first Grand Slam crown by beating Nadal in the Melbourne final.

Australian Lleyton Hewitt, 33, could become only the third active player to crack the 600 match win mark, joining Federer and Nadal.

On the women’s side, Sharapova will be tested by 2012 Indian Wells winner Victoria Azarenka, 2011 winner Caroline Wozniacki and Australian Open champion Li Na of China.

Li hopes to replace the absent Serena Williams at the top of the world rankings.

“I want to be No 1 in the world,” Li said. “It’s a goal, the dream for all athletes. I will try as hard as I can.”

Williams has boycotted Indian Wells since 2001, when fans booed her as she won in a walkover against sister Venus.

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Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
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- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

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A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

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Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets