Novak Djokovic has no regrets about missing a calendar-year Grand Slam in what he described as his best season yet — even better than his sublime 2011.
Serena Williams was left shattered by her narrow failure to win all four major titles, but the men’s world No 1 said losing the French Open final had only spurred him on to greater things.
Djokovic said defeat to Stan Wawrinka in Paris had given him the hunger to win Wimbledon and the US Open, and a newfound maturity helped him enjoy his successes even more.
“Winning three out of four Grand Slams and playing another final is not a disappointment,” he said at the China Open. “On the contrary, it’s as good as it can get. One match more and it’s a perfect score.
“Somehow I feel like this one is even better (than 2011). I have no reason to regret anything that happened this year. I feel like Roland Garros final was very emotional, but it happened for a reason.
“Because I have lost that match, I feel like I was even more eager to come back and play well on Grand Slams. I think this was a big part of my success in Wimbledon and US Open.”
GALLERY: Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal on a Thailand tour — in pictures
Djokovic also won three Grand Slam titles in 2011 among 10 trophies, one of the great seasons of modern times. But he said getting married and becoming a father last year made 2015 even sweeter.
“I just feel like as a more complete person and a player. I’m a father and a husband,” said Djokovic, who has seven titles so far this year.
“Just different circumstances that happen in my life in the last couple of years, that have helped me to enjoy all the success that I have on the tennis court even more.”
Djokovic has teamed successfully with Boris Becker over the past two seasons and said that after retirement, he planned to follow his mentor’s lead by taking up coaching.
“I would assume because tennis is my life, I definitely will after my active playing career, stay somehow in tennis, definitely involved, and eventually coach somebody one day,” he said.
First, though, will come his expected assault on Roger Federer’s record of 17 Grand Slam titles. Djokovic, who has established himself as a class apart this year, is currently on 10.
“I still have a lot to work on and a lot to win to get to the level where he is,” said Djokovic, adding that he was “flattered” to be compared to Federer.
“To be actually winning 10 Grand Slams, it’s a great achievement. So I’m proud of it and I’ll keep on going.”
He said that despite his long year, he had no thoughts of skipping tournaments in China where fans uniformly give him a warm welcome, something he does not always receive elsewhere.
“I feel like the support I get here over the years with all the fans, the way they wait for me in front of the hotel and the club, is something that I don’t experience really more or less anywhere,” he said.
And Djokovic, who is on a 24-match winning streak at the China Open, added that his main motivation was still simply the enjoyment of hitting tennis balls and competing on court.
“I don’t take that for granted. That’s why I keep on going and try to push my own borders, which I don’t determine,” he said.
“I don’t like to say where my limits are. I try to just be in the moment, use my imagination, and all of a sudden your possibilities become limitless.”
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Profile box
Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
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
Company%20profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
The Greatest Royal Rumble card as it stands
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
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WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
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United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v tba
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
