Maria Sharapova's declaration on making a return visit to the scene of her 2008 Australian Open success, now that her badly damaged shoulder is close to returning to its venomous best, adds further weight to the view that this year's women's event could turn out to be one of the most exciting in recent years.
Sharapova's lengthy absence from the game she once dominated was as damaging as the self-inflicted disappearances of two other former world No 1s - the Belgian rivals Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, both of whom have recently come out of retirement.
Having all three of those champions back in the draw is a major boost for what had become a stagnating WTA Tour.
"The shoulder is so much better now than it was early last September," said Sharapova, who has re-established herself in the world hierarchy well enough to earn the protection of one of the top 16 seeds.
That sets her up for a possible fourth-round clash against her fragile compatriot Dinara Safina, the most unconvincing of a cluster of players who have risen recently to No 1 status.
Sharapova, winner of three grand slam titles, added: "Maybe a few months ago I didn't really know how my shoulder would feel on any day. Now it's a lot more consistent and I believe I can get my serve back to where it used to be."
Preceding Sharapova as Australian Open champion was Henin, who "retired" a little more than a year later when firmly in command of the world's top ranking.
An eighth grand slam title for her is by no means out of the question after her impressive display in reaching the final of her comeback tournament in Brisbane a week ago.
A stronger option here is the woman who beat her in that thrilling final. Clijsters has already made a big mark in her "second career" by claiming last year's US Open in fairy tale fashion and back-to-back majors is a realistic possibility.
All three of those re-emerging luminaries are favoured by the draw putting them in the opposite half to defending champion Serena Williams and her big sister Venus. Serena tried to shrug off the knee injury which contributed to her defeat by Elena Dementieva in last week's Sydney final but there are obvious doubts about her capabilities of surviving the full fortnight.
The same could be said about Venus in view of her arrival into a first-round encounter tomorrow with Czech Lucie Safarova without playing a single competitive warm-up match.
Rod Laver Arena
From 4am:
14-Maria Sharapova (Russia) v Maria Kirilenko (Russia); 15-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) v Valerie Tetreault (Canada); 5-Andy Murray (Britain) v Kevin Anderson (South Africa)
From noon
2-Rafael Nadal (Spain) v Peter Luczak (Australia); Jelena Dokic (Australia) v 27-Alisa Kleybanova (Russia)
Hisense Arena
From 4am
2-Dinara Safina (Russia) v Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia); 7-Andy Roddick (US) v Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands); 4-Juan Martin Del Potro (Argentina) v Michael Russell (US); Justine Henin (Belgium) v Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium)
Margaret Court Arena
From 4 am
Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) v Alexandra Dulgheru (Romania); Guillaume Rufin (France) v Bernard Tomic (Australia); 5-Elena Dementieva (Russia) v Vera Dushevina (Russia); 8-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) v Monica Niculescu (Romania); Matthew Ebden (Australia) v 12-Gael Monfils (France)
(Numbers before players' names denote seeding)
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
more from Janine di Giovanni
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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WIDE%20VIEW
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Company%20profile
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
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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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
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
BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA
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KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mobile phone packages comparison
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
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
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
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
