Del Potro, Nishikori and five players outside the Big Four who can win the US Open

With the fourth and final grand slam of the year beginning Monday in New York, Ahmed Rizvi looks at five players outside the Big Four who have the potential win it.

• Also: Five Non-Serena women to watch

Marin Cilic

The only man to beat Andy Murray post-French Open, Cilic, 27, is definitely a dark horse. Struggling with arm and shoulder injuries in the months following his 2014 US Open triumph, the towering Croat has been playing well for much of this season and comes to New York having beaten Murray for his first Masters 1000 title in the Cincinnati final this month.

Milos Raonic

The big-serving Canadian has been knocking on the doors of grand slam success, and came close at Wimbledon before losing to Murray in the final. Murray defeated Raonic, 25, again in the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Masters, so he must have been glad not to be drawn in the same half as the Scot. Has the weapons to go all the way.

Juan Martin del Potro

How often would you pick a world No 142 as your dark horse, especially one who was on the verge of quitting the game because of persistent wrist injuries? But Del Potro, 27, is an exceptional talent, and looks to at last have put those injuries behind him, defeating Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon and Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the Rio Olympics.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

One of the sport’s biggest entertainers, the Frenchman is also one of its streakiest talents. Tsonga, 31, has the game to beat the best, but that happens rarely. He has a tough draw in New York, with a possible fourth round against Cilic and then Djokovic in the quarter-finals, but write him off at your peril.

Kei Nishikori

The Japanese has never dropped out of the top 10 since reaching the final of the 2014 US Open, where he defeated Djokovic in the semis, and yet, Nishikori, 26, is still something of an underachiever. Injuries have hampered him and he has always been found wanting against the best; he is 0-9 against Djokovic since the 2014 US Open.

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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.”

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.

World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final

The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe

Tips to keep your car cool

Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
Park in shaded or covered areas
Add tint to windows
Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

How tumultuous protests grew

A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital

Tales of Yusuf Tadros

Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)

Hoopoe

Naga

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