In the first episode of our Abtal podcast, host Reem Abulleil is joined by two Arab tennis stars, Tunisian Ons Jabeur and Egyptian Mayar Sherif, for their first interview together.
Jabeur is the highest-ranked African woman and Arab player in tennis history and Sherif is the second-highest-ranked Arab woman in history and the highest-ranked Egyptian tennis player ever.
The conversation features their journeys from their early days trying to make it in the sport, and how each has taken a completely different path to the top echelons of women’s tennis, reflecting on the key decisions they made along the way.
Jabeur and Sherif also share the turning points in their careers – the highs, the lows, the desperation that comes with trying to break through and the pressure that comes with finally doing well.
Jabeur opens up about her heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 Wimbledon final, while Sherif reveals what pushed her to pursue a career in professional tennis halfway through college.
They share stories from their appearances at the Olympics and even quiz each other on things they’ve always wanted to learn about one another.
You can listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major podcasting platforms, or watch the full interview on The National News YouTube channel.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
