As a young girl growing up in Tunisia in the late 1990s, Ons Jabeur did not have the luxury of attending a big women’s tennis tournament in the Arab region – there simply weren’t any.
In 2001, the WTA events in Doha, Dubai and Morocco came to life and two years ago the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open was added to the mix, creating a three-week swing of elite-level women’s tennis taking place in the Gulf each February.
Rabat hosts a WTA 250 every May, Monastir has held an autumn tournament since 2022 and the WTA Finals have a home in Riyadh at the end of the season for at least two more years. That’s six WTA events staged in the Mena region.
Jabeur – the highest-ranked Arab or African woman in tennis history – never imagined her beloved sport would reach this point in the region. She enters this week’s Abu Dhabi Open keen to inspire the young people watching from the stands.
“It’s definitely the biggest and most important part of the tour for me – three consecutive tournaments in the Middle East. If you asked me a long time ago, I would tell you it was very difficult [to imagine],” Jabeur told The National ahead of this week's event.
“Even when I wasn’t ranked very high, I always looked forward to play Doha and Dubai, so now to add Abu Dhabi to it, I think it’s amazing for the Arab world to have more tournaments to inspire more and more the younger generation.
“It’s not the same as watching from TV, to have the chance to come here is huge. I always hear the other players say, ‘When I was young, I went to the US Open’, and the other has a picture from Wimbledon. And me, I don’t have any picture from any other tournament [when I was young] and I never had the dream to play one of the Grand Slams.
“The only one, maybe, was the French Open, because I heard about it, you know? So, I feel like now the younger generation can create memories and have that for the future.”
Jabeur will open her Abu Dhabi campaign against former Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday and is hoping to build on her promising start to the season in Australia following a four-month break from the tour nursing a shoulder injury.
In her first on-court appearances since August, Jabeur reached the quarter-finals in Brisbane, the round of 16 in Adelaide and the third round at the Australian Open last month.
At the Australian Open, Jabeur was one of five Arab players featuring in the main draw across singles and doubles, with Egypt’s Mayar Sherif joining her in women’s singles, Lebanon’s Hady Habib and Tunisia’s Aziz Dougaz in men’s singles, and Tunisian Skander Mansouri competing in men’s doubles.
“I’m very happy for them. I was cheering so bad for Aziz and for Hady to qualify. And I was also wishing for them to have a better draw in the main draw,” said Jabeur.
“It was nice to see Hady also playing so well, Aziz having the confidence to come and play the main draw. I know it’s their dream to play there and hopefully do better in the future but I definitely see the future very bright.
“There was also another Lebanese [Benjamin Hassan] who lost to Aziz as well in qualies. So it was truly nice to see more and more players from the region and hopefully we can see more Arab players on tour. It gives me so much hope and hopefully we can improve a lot of different things in the Arab world.”
Jabeur was pleased with her level in Australia on her return from an extended break, which she says helped both mentally and physically. Besides giving time for her shoulder to heal, her hiatus also helped reinvigorate her motivation and get back to enjoying herself on the court.
“It was nice to see that the level is back. I know there is a big margin to evolve and do better for sure. But I’m definitely enjoying my time and I’m trying to correct a lot of things and discover, maybe, a new me on court,” she added.
Stepping away from the tour is never an easy decision, and it’s one Jabeur did not take lightly.
“I think there are a lot of things in question for the player, personally. I don’t think anything will change on tour specifically [while you’re away]. But you know we have commitments with our sponsors, we have commitments with our ranking, so I think that’s the question,” she explained.
“For me, it was honestly the right move because at a certain time, I should have stopped earlier. I wasn’t playing really well and I wasn’t able to play. I was questioning myself and probably blaming my mental abilities to compete and at a certain time I was like, I don’t think I can play anymore, I need to really take the time off and it was a smart decision.”
From a tennis perspective, Australia was a positive start for Jabeur, but it did not come without its struggles. The Tunisian world No 33 suffered some breathing issues in Melbourne and has yet to get to the bottom of the problem.
Jabeur had to undergo surgery to remove nodules from her airways two years ago but says this current issue doesn’t seem to be related.
“Sometimes it’s more annoying and it makes me angry because I try to come back and I’m not having any physical injuries and these breathing things happen and it doesn’t help me much with my tennis,” she admits.
“But I felt like I tried to manage it well, especially in the match against Camila Osorio [in the second round]. But it’s pretty annoying to play with this. I feel much better now, maybe the conditions here are better. But hopefully I can work on it and be better in the future. But right now it’s much better.”
At age 30, Jabeur is considered a tour veteran. The three-time Grand Slam finalist ended four consecutive seasons ranked inside the top 10 (from 2021 to 2024) and is hoping she can fight her way back now that her injuries are behind her.
Her versatile game has helped her reach a career-high No 2 in the world but she knows she has to keep reinventing herself to compete at the highest level.
“I think everybody knows me on tour, pretty much, and they know how to play me. So I think it’s good to change things up a little bit, to add some stuff to my game,” said Jabeur.
“You cannot be the same player from two years ago until now. You need to have more things in your game to change it up a little bit.
“I’m going more to the net, which I wasn’t doing before. I’m not mastering it 100 per cent but I think I’m there, I have a good volley. I see myself putting pressure. And with the type of game that I’m putting in, I think it will help me a lot.
“I’m trying to be more focused on specific things and I think that kind of mentality really helps you be there on the court, be less tough with myself. I know I’ve been a little bit tough with myself in the past years so maybe that’s why I wasn’t enjoying tennis much at a certain time.”
Jabeur is a firm believer in working on her psychology and mentality to improve her performance and she continues to explore new ways to achieve that.
At the Australian Open, Madison Keys enjoyed a breakthrough run to the title at the age of 29, ending her long quest for a maiden Grand Slam trophy.
Keys said in Melbourne that it wasn’t until she let go of the idea of winning a major and accepting her career would still be good enough without one that she finally managed to become a Grand Slam champion.
Jabeur, who is a few months older than Keys, understands that philosophy but admits to struggling to get into that frame of mind.
“It is very tough. It’s easier said than done, not to be obsessed with the Grand Slam. But in life in general, if you’re obsessed with something, I think it would never happen to you,” she said.
“I’m in the way of accepting if I don’t win a Grand Slam in my life, I would be very happy with my career. I know I am happy with my career, what I’ve done so far is amazing. But you always have the athlete, that champion in you, to target more and more.
“And I think everybody is different. If you let go sometimes, you just let go and maybe you don’t have any motivation. But sometimes you need to let go from that side to be able to lift the trophy that you wanted.
“For me right now I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m trying to enjoy tennis more because at a certain time I wasn’t enjoying it much, it was very tough mentally for me. And I’m trying to work on new aspects, to try to improve in different aspects in tennis and that will help me.
“I truly believe in destiny, if it’s written out there that I’m going to win a Grand Slam, it will happen no matter what. I’m putting in the hard work, so let’s see how my career will turn out.”
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
HWJN
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GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Fight card
Preliminaries:
Nouredine Samir (UAE) v Sheroz Kholmirzav (UZB); Lucas Porst (SWE) v Ellis Barboza (GBR); Mouhmad Amine Alharar (MAR) v Mohammed Mardi (UAE); Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) v Spyro Besiri (GRE); Aslamjan Ortikov (UZB) v Joshua Ridgwell (GBR)
Main card:
Carlos Prates (BRA) v Dmitry Valent (BLR); Bobirjon Tagiev (UZB) v Valentin Thibaut (FRA); Arthur Meyer (FRA) v Hicham Moujtahid (BEL); Ines Es Salehy (BEL) v Myriame Djedidi (FRA); Craig Coakley (IRE) v Deniz Demirkapu (TUR); Artem Avanesov (ARM) v Badreddine Attif (MAR); Abdulvosid Buranov (RUS) v Akram Hamidi (FRA)
Title card:
Intercontinental Lightweight: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) v Angel Marquez (ESP)
Intercontinental Middleweight: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) v Francesco Iadanza (ITA)
Asian Featherweight: Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) v Phillip Delarmino (PHI)
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The UAE's journey to space
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
