2015 will be a year for Serena Williams to be fighting fit

All is well that ends well, and 2014 ended very well for Serena Williams. She finished ranked world No 1 in the world with a lead of more than 1,100 points over No 2 Maria Sharapova, she won the US Open and the year-end championships for the third successive year and added seven titles to her career tally.

Impressive for a woman who celebrated her 33rd birthday in September. But how good was 2014 for her, really? She seemed headed for her worst year at the grand slams, failing to reach the last eight at the Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon, until the US Open salvaged her season.

The American did win the WTA Finals, but she suffered the worst defeat of her career – a 6-0, 6-2 loss to Simona Halep. The last time she managed to win only two games in a WTA Tour or grand slam match was in 1998, when she was 16 – a 6-1, 6-1 loss to South African Joannette Kruger.

So Williams was not as dominant in 2014 as she generally is, and most pundits would attribute that to her advancing age. That would mean 2015 could be even tougher on her aching limbs, but not many would bet against her adding to her 18 slam titles.

Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon in 1990 at 33 years and eight months. She was 37 when she lost the 1994 final to Conchita Martinez. Navratilova and Williams are the only women to win a slam in three different decades, but can the American keep making it to major finals until the age of 37, like Martina?

This year should provide some answers towards that.

arizvi@thenational.ae

Recycle Reuse Repurpose

New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors

Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site

Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area

Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.

About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor

Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:

Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled

Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays

Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters

Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill