There are only two active players who hold winning records against Novak Djokovic having played him more than once. Nope, not Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but Nick Kyrgios and now Jiri Vesely.
The Czech, a former world No 35 but currently ranked outside the top 120, may have beaten Djokovic back in 2016 at the Monte Carlo Masters but he was given little hope of repeating the feat when the pair met in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships quarter-finals on Thursday evening. The doubters, it turned out, included himself.
"I never thought I would really have a chance against Novak, he's one of the greatest of all time," Vesely said, immediately after his remarkable 6-4, 7-6 victory over the 20-time Grand Slam champion. Asked how much confidence from his previous win over Djokovic he had taken into this match, Vesely simply replied: "Not much."
Granted, Djokovic was below his irrepressible best but Vesely was magnificent, both on the court and in his head; playing inspired tennis and serving bombs while holding his nerve in key moments. That is typically what it takes to bring down the Serb: hope he has a slight off day while the other guy plays out of his skin.
The result may have come as a surprise - and led to major ramifications for the ATP Tour world rankings - but Vesely's performance shouldn't. While Djokovic was bringing the house down on a packed Centre Court during his second-round win over Karen Khachanov on Wednesday, Vesely was quietly taking apart eighth seed Roberto Bautista Agut over on Court One - that after cruising past former US Open champion Marin Cilic in the first round.
In fact, the only time Vesely has dropped sets so far this week was in both rounds of qualifying.
The 28-year-old left-hander set the tone by breaking Djokovic in the opening game of the match, and after the top seed levelled at 2-2, Vesely reclaimed the advantage at 4-3. He then reeled off two solid service games to take the set.
Advantage Vesely but Djokovic has trailed before, and a slow start was never going to ruffle the world No 1. He was still expected to turn the match around and take his place in the semi-finals. Instead, Vesely went toe-to-toe with his fearsome opponent, earning the break and holding serve for a 5-3 lead. Now the upset was on; one more service hold and Vesely would claim one of the biggest wins of his career.
But Djokovic is the greatest clutch player in tennis history for a reason, and sensing Vesely's nerves, he pounced to level at 5-5. The usual script in these circumstances is for the player's shoulders to slump, having missed a golden opportunity to beat the Serb, while Djokovic puffs out his chest and sets about dismantling his opponent's game and spirit.
Clearly Vesely wasn't in the mood to follow that blueprint, and as the set entered a tiebreak, it was the Czech who stamped his authority, taking a 3-0 lead before sealing the victory with a snappy forehand crosscourt winner.
Reaching the Dubai semi-finals will take Vesely back inside the top 100 and he could climb higher still if he advances to the final or wins the whole thing, which in this form, is entirely possible. Back trending in the right direction up the rankings, Vesely can now look ahead with optimism after a 2021 that saw him contract Covid-19 and be involved in a serious car crash, from which he escaped with minor injuries.
"After what I went through the past months, it's unbelievable," Vesely, 28, said to rapturous applause inside Centre Court. "I have so many emotions, it's hard to describe. It's an amazing feeling."
The defeat is be a double blow for Djokovic, who will be replaced at the top of the rankings by Russia's Daniil Medvedev on Monday, bringing to an end 86 consecutive weeks - and a record 361 in total - as the world No 1.
Before Veseley took his place in the last four at the top half of the draw, Thursday's afternoon session decided the semi-finalists for the bottom half, and it will be Andrey Rublev against Hubert Hurkacz.
Rublev, the Russian second seed, fought back to claim a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 over American Mackenzie McDonald, before Polish fifth seed Hurkacz cruised past Italy's Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3.
The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Juliot Vinolia’s checklist for adopting alternate-day fasting
- Don’t do it more than once in three days
- Don’t go under 700 calories on fasting days
- Ensure there is sufficient water intake, as the body can go in dehydration mode
- Ensure there is enough roughage (fibre) in the food on fasting days as well
- Do not binge on processed or fatty foods on non-fasting days
- Complement fasting with plant-based foods, fruits, vegetables, seafood. Cut out processed meats and processed carbohydrates
- Manage your sleep
- People with existing gastric or mental health issues should avoid fasting
- Do not fast for prolonged periods without supervision by a qualified expert
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