French tennis star Gael Monfils will be a part of Tie Break Tens in Dubai later this year. Reuters
French tennis star Gael Monfils will be a part of Tie Break Tens in Dubai later this year. Reuters
French tennis star Gael Monfils will be a part of Tie Break Tens in Dubai later this year. Reuters
French tennis star Gael Monfils will be a part of Tie Break Tens in Dubai later this year. Reuters

Gael Monfils set for Tie Break Ten's inaugural Dubai edition


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

Former top 10 tennis star Gael Monfils is one of the early confirmations for the Tie Break Tens series when the short-form version of the sport arrives in Dubai for the first time in October.

First launched at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2015, the TB10 series has attracted some of the top players in the past, including recently-crowned Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Elina Svitolina and Rafael Nadal.

More names will be announced by TB10 Dubai in the coming weeks. TB10 Dubai will commence with the men’s tournament, with plans to have a women’s section in the near future.

TB10 has been hosted in major cities like London, Vienna, Madrid, Melbourne, and New York City. It now arrives at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on October 22.

The tournament is held over one evening and involves eight players competing in a knockout format with a winner-takes-all prize of Dh 500,000. There are no games or sets, but matches of only 10-point tie-breaks each.

“We really believe that Tie Break Tens is paving the way for the future of tennis,” Jimmy Poon, tournament director for TB10 Dubai, said.

“TB10s events energise fans of the sport at all levels. Launching this event in the current climate has its challenges, but nowhere is better equipped than Dubai to deliver.

“We are equally excited to announce that leading up to the main tournament itself, TB10 Dubai is also establishing a grass roots junior tournament in parallel to support young talent in the sport, with the finals of both the boys and girls U18s event being played in the arena on the night of the main event.”

Tickets for Tie Break Tens Dubai will go on sale in August. Fans can register at www.tiebreaktensdubai.com to receive further details.

The seats available for sale will be based on the latest social distancing regulations and the health and safety guidelines of the Dubai Health Authority. All attendees will be required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

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On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE

Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”

What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love". 

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Updated: August 02, 2021, 12:25 PM