ABU DHABI // Novak Djokovic, the men's world No 1, will close out a stellar year by making his first appearance at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open grand slam titles this year, has become the dominant force this year, with the Serbian only losing three matches and winning 68.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are also among the six entrants from the top 10 players on the ATP Tour who will compete for the winner-takes-all US$250,000 (Dh918,300) prize, with Nadal, the Spanish world No 2 and Federer the Swiss world No 4, returning to Abu Dhabi for the fourth time in the fourth instalment to be played at the Zayed Sports City on December 29-31.
Rafael Nadal is relishing his return to the tournament, which he has won the previous two editions beating Robin Soderling in 2010 and then Roger Federer at the start of this year..
"Having seen the strength of the field, I'm already looking forward to a serious test and defending my title," Nadal said. "I know I'll need to be at my best, so it's exactly the preparation I need ahead of the Australian Open."
David Ferrer, the Spanish world No 5, Jo-Winifed Tsonga, the French world No 9 are returning for the second time, while Gael Monfils, 10th in the rankings, will make his first appearance in Abu Dhabi.
Federer said appearing in Abu Dhabi gets better and better each year, especially off-court work, where the players conduct a tennis clinic for the winner of the Mubadala Community Cup — a competition set up to help tennis in the emirates grow at grassroots level.
"The city's genuine commitment to support the growth of tennis in the region is exciting and the opportunity to work with junior players makes it personally rewarding to play here as part of this celebration of tennis," Federer said.
"Abu Dhabi is a place I always look forward to returning to as I have always had a wonderful time."
Originally called the Capitala World Tennis Championship, the tournament is a not part of the ATP Tour, and is based on a knock-out format over three days.
The top two players receive a bye to the semi-finals and will play the winner of first round of matches.
Andy Murray, the Briton, won the first edition in 2009, beating Nadal in three sets.
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
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The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA
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Transmission Seven-speed automatic
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Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
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US PGA Championship in numbers
1 Joost Luiten produced a memorable hole in one at the par-three fourth in the first round.
2 To date, the only two players to win the PGA Championship after winning the week before are Rory McIlroy (2014 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational) and Tiger Woods (2007, WGC-Bridgestone Invitational). Hideki Matsuyama or Chris Stroud could have made it three.
3 Number of seasons without a major for McIlroy, who finished in a tie for 22nd.
4 Louis Oosthuizen has now finished second in all four of the game's major championships.
5 In the fifth hole of the final round, McIlroy holed his longest putt of the week - from 16ft 8in - for birdie.
6 For the sixth successive year, play was disrupted by bad weather with a delay of one hour and 43 minutes on Friday.
7 Seven under par (64) was the best round of the week, shot by Matsuyama and Francesco Molinari on Day 2.
8 Number of shots taken by Jason Day on the 18th hole in round three after a risky recovery shot backfired.
9 Jon Rahm's age in months the last time Phil Mickelson missed the cut in the US PGA, in 1995.
10 Jimmy Walker's opening round as defending champion was a 10-over-par 81.
11 The par-four 11th coincidentally ranked as the 11th hardest hole overall with a scoring average of 4.192.
12 Paul Casey was a combined 12 under par for his first round in this year's majors.
13 The average world ranking of the last 13 PGA winners before this week was 25. Kevin Kisner began the week ranked 25th.
14 The world ranking of Justin Thomas before his victory.
15 Of the top 15 players after 54 holes, only Oosthuizen had previously won a major.
16 The par-four 16th marks the start of Quail Hollow's so-called "Green Mile" of finishing holes, some of the toughest in golf.
17 The first round scoring average of the last 17 major champions was 67.2. Kisner and Thorbjorn Olesen shot 67 on day one at Quail Hollow.
18 For the first time in 18 majors, the eventual winner was over par after round one (Thomas shot 73).
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
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PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
