Plenty has changed since Roger Federer last competed in a Grand Slam tournament at the 2020 Australian Open. Back then, 'social distancing', 'limited capacity', and 'bio-secure bubbles' were not common phrases in sport lexicon.
While professional tennis adapted to a challenging new normal over the subsequent 18 months – one of PCR tests, hard quarantines, and vigilant health and safety measures – Federer was absent for pretty much all of it, using the time instead to undergo not one but two knee surgeries.
Forgive the 20-time Grand Slam champion, then, if he is still getting up to speed with some of those changes.
One of the most notable differences for players, at least when on-court, is the retrieval of towels. It might sound trivial, and in the grand scheme of things it is, but in the context of a tennis match the towel plays quite a key role. Wiping away sweat is but a surface function. The towel is often vital to the between-points routine, the reset. It clears the brow and the mind.
Of course, during these coronavirus times, ball kids cannot be expected to be responsible for sweaty towels so it is now on the players. But while the rest of the tennis tour has had plenty of time to adjust and develop new routines, Federer is still getting up to speed.
That much was evident during his French Open second round match against longtime rival Marin Cilic on Thursday. In the fifth game of the second set, with Federer one set to the good, the Swiss was issued a time violation, as he was toweling down, for taking too long between points while Cilic waited to serve.
Cue Federer exploding into an uncharacteristic rant at umpire Emmanuel Joseph. “I listened when you were speaking to me, now listen to me when I’m speaking to you," he said. "I don't even dare to go my towel anymore."
After the back and forth went on for a few minutes, Federer approached Cilic and asked: "Am I playing too slow?" Federer, it must be noted, is usually one of the quickest players on tour.
Explaining the whole saga to Eurosport after the match, Federer said: "Marin was upset with me because he wanted to serve at me without me being in position.
"With the towels being on either side I'm a bit confused how I'm supposed to do it. I know you are supposed to play at the server's pace but what I have to question, was Marin pushing me a little bit to play extremely fast, or was I playing extremely slow? I'm sorry if I did, but I wanted a proper explanation."
Federer, one of the coolest and most experienced operators in world sport, taken down by a towel.
Towel-gate aside, it was a masterful performance by the 2009 Roland Garros champion and he was well worthy of his 6-2, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory.
"I had very good moments, in the tie-break in particular, and I served really well to finish," said Federer after hitting 47 winners. "It shows me that I still have something in the tank, it's super important for confidence."
Plenty may have changed in the tennis world but Federer's class endures, even as he approaches his 40th birthday.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic, champion in 2016, was also in emphatic form in Paris, racing into the third round with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas.
If both men maintain such impressive levels for the next two rounds, a quarter-final showdown could beckon.
In the women's draw, it was a contrasting day for the French Open's two most recent champions.
Top seed Ashleigh Barty, who opted against defending her 2019 title last year over pandemic-related health concerns, was forced to retire injured during her second-round match against Poland's Magda Linette.
The world No 1 from Australia arrived in Paris in fine form following a title in Stuttgart, but her campaign was cut short by a troublesome leg injury.
Her exit, combined with the early withdrawal of second seed Naomi Osaka has opened up the field, and defending champion Iga Swiatek looks in the mood to take full advantage after the Polish eighth seed crushed Sweden's Rebecca Peterson 6-1, 6-1.
RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
The bio
Favourite book: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer
Favourite quote: “The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist
Favourite Authors: Arab poet Abu At-Tayyib Al-Mutanabbi
Favourite Emirati food: Luqaimat, a deep-fried dough soaked in date syrup
Hobbies: Reading and drawing
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
MORE ON IRAN'S PROXY WARS
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
