If Wayne Rooney and his England teammates make an inconspicuous return home from a disappointing World Cup campaign, avoiding those scathing covers and back pages, they can thank Andy Murray and his new coach, Amelie Mauresmo.
Samba is passe.
It is the season of strawberries and cream in England now – Roy Hodgson can spend the rest of the summer in peace.
It is the new trans-channel alliance between the Scot and his French tutor that is going to be making headlines over the next two weeks.
England’s wait for a second World Cup triumph continues, but if Murray thought he could breath easy after finally ending Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s champion at SW19 with a straight-set demolition of Novak Djokovic last July, he might be in for a surprise. The monkey is finally off his back, but the national obsession is not.
The 27-year-old Scot still carries a considerable weight of expectation as he begins the defence of his Wimbledon crown.
Many will be expecting him to fail and will base that on his chequered record over the past 12 months. Murray has not reached a final since his memorable win at Wimbledon and has lost every time he has come up against a top 10 player since, taking only two sets in six matches.
Rafael Nadal beat him at Roland Garros and Rome, Djokovic knocked him out at Miami, he lost to Roger Federer at the Australian Open, and Tomas Berdych (Cincinnati) and Stanislas Wawrinka (US Open) got the better of him last year.
In nine matches against top 20 players over the past 12 months, Murray has one win – over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Miami – and his 11 losses this year, which already exceeds last year’s eight, includes defeats to Radep Stepanek (No 42), Santiago Giraldo (No 46) and Florian Mayer (No 40).
So his recent form certainly does not inspire confidence.
Murray has had a bad back and a recovery period from surgery, but there has also been the issue of motivation after the emotional Wimbledon triumph.
“For a couple of months after Wimbledon, I almost started to believe everyone,” Murray said ahead of the start of his defence.
“They were all saying that it’s completely normal to lose motivation or to struggle after you win Wimbledon, and I kind of accepted that.
“I found I was struggling to get up for practices and training.
“That was part of it, but there was also the physical stuff as well. I was thinking my back was bad and wondering what I was going to do about it.
“I didn’t know if it was going to be perfect again or if it was going to be bad for ever.
“When I decided to have the surgery that was it. I kind of moved on. The motivation has been there ever since then.”
That motivation was obvious at the French Open when Murray fought to down Philipp Kohlschreiber and Gael Monfils in five sets. Nadal overwhelmed him in the semi-finalss, but then the Spaniard is a different player on clay. On grass, Murray could make a similar claim.
He has reached the semis in each of his last five visits to the All England Club, has been a finalist the past two years and won the 2012 Olympic gold as well.
Nadal, Djokovic or Federer cannot make a similar claim.
So, only a brave man would bet against Murray defending his Wimbledon crown, especially given his draw.
His path to the final could begin with a win over David Goffin (No 104), then go through Pablo Andujar (No 79), Roberto Bautista Agut (No 28), Fabio Fognini (No 15), David Ferrer (No 7) or Grigor Dimitrov (No 11) and a semi-final against Novak Djokovic (No 2).
It could get easier if Djokovic’s troublesome wrists start acting up, but Murray is keen not to look too far ahead.
“I want to win, but I’ve not looked that far ahead,” he said. “It took me a long time to win for the first time, so I’m not naive enough to think the next one will come around so quickly.”
In the Open era, only four of the 20 Wimbledon first-time champions have successfully defended their crown in the following year: Bjorn Borg (1977), Boris Becker (1986), Pete Sampras (1994) and Roger Federer (2004).
Murray has a chance to join this august company and a besotted Britain will be standing firmly behind their man. Rooney, Hodgson and company can be thankful for that.
arizvi@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at SprtNationalUAE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
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
Bullet%20Train
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Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Squads
Australia: Finch (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Carey, Coulter-Nile, Lynn, McDermott, Maxwell, Short, Stanlake, Stoinis, Tye, Zampa
India: Kohli (c), Khaleel, Bumrah, Chahal, Dhawan, Shreyas, Karthik, Kuldeep, Bhuvneshwar, Pandey, Krunal, Pant, Rahul, Sundar, Umesh
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
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.
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Naga
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