If anyone deserved an extended break after last month's Australian Open, it was Daniil Medvedev. The Russian set an Open era record – arguably an unwanted one – at Melbourne Park for most time spent on court and most amount of sets played at a single Grand Slam tournament.
Had the 30 sets played over 24 hours and 17 minutes resulted in the title, it would have been worth it. That Medvedev ended up second-best for a fifth time in six major finals, after winning the first two sets against Jannik Sinner, was, he said, "very, very tough" to take.
So, while the ATP Tour left Australia to continue its calendar around the world, Medvedev took some time out, some of it optional to recharge from the fatigue, part of it enforced to recover from a minor foot injury caused by his exploits down under.
That meant forgoing opportunities to defend his titles in Rotterdam and Doha, but the world No 4 has now returned at this week's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where he is also the defending champion – the consequence of a sublime run of form 12 months ago when he won three successive tournaments.
Curiously, though, for a player who has won an impressive 20 titles in his career, Medvedev has never successfully defended one. The top seed will hope to change that this week, and he got his campaign underway with a hard-fought win against the talented Alexander Shevchenko on Tuesday evening.
It wasn't perfect and there were clear signs of a player lacking in recent match sharpness, but Medevdev just about managed to get it done in straight sets 6-3, 7-5, aided perhaps by Shevchenko's fitness struggles.
"In general, I'm pretty happy," Medvedev, 28, said. "There were definitely some moments where I could have played better. But I beat a very tough opponent in two sets, so I'm looking forward to the next matches and seeing how I develop."
Medvedev was largely untroubled in the first set and was in total control when he broke Shevchenko twice to take a 5-2 lead. The Kazakh was troubled by a forearm problem and called for the trainer, who essentially told him there wasn't much he could do to help.
Downbeat and looking defeated, Shevchenko managed to fight back to break Medvedev's serve but any momentum was soon halted as he failed to hold serve in the following game as the top seed closed out the opening set.
Against a physically limited opponent and being one set to the good, Medvedev was expected to put his foot down and cruise to victory. But it was the world No 47 who took charge in the second set as Medvedev's level dropped, earning a break in the fifth game and moving into a 5-3 lead.
With Shevchenko serving for the set at 5-4, it was then that Medvedev started playing like Medvedev. The Russian cranked up the intensity, hitting shots with more power and purpose, including an outrageous forehand winner down the line.
The break back duly secured, Medvedev maintained his momentum by winning the final two games, clinching the match in one hour and 28 minutes when Shevchenko sent a forehand long.
Through to the second round, Medvedev's plan to finally defend a title is well on course. He won last year's trophy playing, he said, some of the best tennis of his career, defeating Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals and thrashing close friend Andrey Rublev in the final.
"I definitely want to do it one time in my career," Medvedev said about defending a title. "It's not going to be easy here, just coming back after a break. Today was quite a good match but it was not perfect. If you want to win titles, at one moment, especially later in the tournament, you have to be perfect. But that's what I'm going to try to aim for."
Wednesday's last-16 second round will see Andy Murray aim to build on his first-round victory over Denis Shapovalov after a difficult start to the season. The former world No 1, who lost his first four matches of the year and has only reached the second round twice, faces Frenchman Ugo Humbert following the fifth seed's victory over compatriot Gael Monfils on Tuesday.
Second seed and 2022 Dubai champion Rublev also returns to the court and takes on another Frenchman, qualifier Arthur Cazaux.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
MATCH DETAILS
Barcelona 0
Slavia Prague 0
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Price, base: Dh399,999
Engine: Supercharged 6.2-litre V8
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 707hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Most%20ODI%20hundreds
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
