PARIS // Stanislas Wawrinka, hotfoot from his Australian Open triumph, turns his mind to affairs of national importance this weekend as he leads Switzerland into battle against last season’s beaten finalists Serbia in the Davis Cup World Group first round.
In last Sunday’s final in Melbourne, the new world No 3 captured his first grand slam title with a four-set upset of Rafael Nadal.
Wawrinka told the Melbourne crowd he was looking forward to the tie against the weakened Serbs – as long as he survived his victory party.
“Davis Cup, it’s really important for me. I’m really proud. It’s a big honour to play for my country.
Nadal, the world No 1, is one of a clutch of stars missing from this weekend’s opening salvoes of the venerable 114-year-old competition.
While Nadal and world No 5 David Ferrer skip Spain’s tie with Germany in Frankfurt, Serbia must face Wawrinka’s Switzerland without Novak Djokovic.
The Swiss in contrast are looking strong as along with the in-form Wawrinka they boast Roger Federer, who confirmed his presence on Wednesday.
Argentina meanwhile face Italy without their top player, Juan Martin Del Potro, knocked out in the second round at Melbourne.
Djokovic had already signalled his intention not to play at Novi Sad before his quarter-final loss to Wawrinka last week.
With Janko Tipsarevic (injured) and Viktor Troicki (suspended) also out Serb captain Bogdan Obradovic is fielding untested youngsters Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic and Ilija Bozoljac with veteran Nenad Zimonjic set to play in the doubles.
In Ostrava, world No 7 Tomas Berdych, a semi-final victim of Wawrinka’s last week, leads the Czechs into battle against the Dutch, returning to the Davis Cup fast lane for the first time since 2009.
Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil is upbeat over his team’s prospects.
“We hope to continue our recent run of results,” said Navratil, whose team beat Spain in the 2012 final and then defeated Serbia to retain their crown in Belgrade late last year.
“Berdych is in great form. He is serving brilliantly and is very strong from the baseline.”
Australia make their return to the World Group after a seven-year absence, against France on the indoor clay courts of La Roche sur Yon.
The Aussies last won the title in 2003 – in 2001 they fell at the final hurdle to France in Nice.
Veteran Lleyton Hewitt is thrilled Pat Rafter’s team, winners of the trophy 28 times, are back in the Davis Cup mix.
“It’s fantastic,” said the 32-year-old who made his competition debut in 1999, just three years after teammate Thanasi Kokkinakis was born.
“For me it’s about leading by example on court more than anything, using my experience I’ve been able to have playing so many years and so many big ties for Australia.”
France will start favourites with two of their team top 10 players in Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
On the red outdoor clay at San Diego’s Petco Park, Great Britain’s world number six Andy Murray leads his team into battle against the United States in a rerun of the first ever Davis Cup tie at Boston’s Longwood Cricket club in 1900.
Great Britain captain Leon Smith said last week: “We’re relishing the opportunity to compete in the world group once again, and I’m delighted that Andy is able to play in the tie.”
American number two Sam Querrey is taking heart from his victory over Murray at the ATP final in Los Angeles in 2010.
“At least I’ve beaten him one time, so that gives me a little belief that I can do it again,” he commented.
In other ties, Belgium face Kazakhstan in Astana, and Canada take on Japan - seeking a first ever World Group win - in Tokyo, with Kei Nishikori forecasting “a tough match even if we play at home”.
sports@thenational.ae
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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
Book%20Details
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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
States of Passion by Nihad Sirees,
Pushkin Press
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final second leg:
Juventus 1 Ajax 2
Ajax advance 3-2 on aggregate
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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
