ABU DHABI // While the majority of people will enjoy an extended excursion to slumberland this morning, world No 1 Roger Federer, who faces Robin Soderling in the semi-final of the Capitala World Tennis Championship this afternoon, will be making the most of every spare minute he gets.
Yesterday morning, the Swiss maestro, having driven to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, found himself standing on the steaming hot tarmac of Yas Marina Circuit. He and rival Rafael Nadal posed for promotional pictures and knocked balls back and forth, before heading to Zayed Sports City for further Capitala commitments.
After hosting two training clinics for local tennis enthusiasts, Federer appeared in front of a media scrum - alongside Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer, Robin Soderling and Stanislas Warwrinka - to be quizzed on everything from Andre Agassi's recent revelations ("Of course, it is disappointing to hear and has cast a big shadow over his career, but we should remember all the great things he did for our sport") to his thoughts on Emirati tennis ("I think it would be great to see Asia and the Middle East have more players ... the grassroots programmes and federations are helping support the talent here").
The 15-time major winner was later greeted by more than 100 adoring fans, who had lined up for more than 30 minutes to have their hero sign an autograph for them. This weekend's tournament may officially be a pre-season exhibition, but Federer is in little doubt his year has started early.
"The off-season was short this year - short and sweet," said the 28-year-old, who officially finished 2009 in late November with a semi-final defeat to Davydenko at London's ATP World Finals. "But, for us, a month off is a lot.
"For some people, yes, it is only four weeks, but if we get two weeks off and then practise for two weeks we are very happy people and we are ready to go for another few months. We might get another few weeks off down the road, but it is obviously important to get in shape ahead of the first grand slam of the season."
The Australian Open starts on January 18 and all six players are hoping to use Abu Dhabi as an early indicator of where their game is, as well as providing them with a timely confidence boost.
"The aim is to play well here, then go over there in good form. Some of the players have been on the road already and want to keep that going and this event offers the perfect opportunity for us to do that," said Federer, who won at Wimbledon last summer to reclaim the world No 1 ranking, a position he had previously held for a record 237 consecutive weeks.
He knows, however, his job is getting tougher - and his ranking more vulnerable. Only 3,765 points separate Federer and world No 5 Juan Martin del Potro, of Argentina.
"With the ranking system we have, everything can change in a second. If you can't play Wimbledon, for instance, like Rafa [experienced] last year, you lose 2,000 points. Then if someone else wins, that is a 4,000-point swing, so you can imagine how much pressure there is, week in week out, for the players.
"Rafa has had to deal with injuries and I have had a bit of struggles with sickness and injuries and missed or lost a few matches when other people have won tournaments as well, so I definitely think a lot of the players coming up, including the players here, don't make it any easier."
Nadal, who appeared uncharacteristically subdued having arrived in the capital late on Wednesday night, said the competitive field is something he has always been acutely aware of and appreciates that any professional player, on his day, can defeat anybody; nobody is unbeatable.
"I always had this feeling," said the Spaniard. "In earlier years, when I would see the draw, I wouldn't just be watching for Roger, I was thinking about everyone because there were lot of good players.
"In the last year, maybe we have seen a few more than before, but there has always been good competition and everyone has always had a chance to win."
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Robin Soderling v Roger Federer, 3pm
David Ferrer v Rafael Nadal, 5pm
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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.
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
AUSTRALIA SQUADS
ODI squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
Twenty20 squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Education reform in Abu Dhabi
The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.
