The yearning to acclaim a British tennis champion on home soil will start two weeks earlier this year as Andy Murray carries a top seeding and favourite's tag into the newly named Aegon Championships at Queen's Club - the traditional warm-up tournament and form guide for Wimbledon.
Andy Roddick, twice triumphant at the West London venue and Lleyton Hewitt, four times the champion, feature in the draw but the focus will be sharply on Murray over the next week as the young Scot takes top billing in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal.
Tim Henman, who carried the British flag so gallantly through a decade of near misses at Wimbledon, came closest to providing Queen's club with a home-bred winner, losing in three finals - two to Hewitt and once to Pete Sampras but a victory for the archetypal English gentleman would always have been regarded as a bonus in illustrious company.
That is not the case with Murray who, at 22, has already surpassed Henman's career high ranking of four and has every chance of rising higher than his current third place behind Nadal and Roger Federer.
Murray is the first Briton to feature at the top of the Queen's draw in 38 stagings of the event and will be expected to prevail over a powerful field that features the French pair of Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils in prominent seeding positions along with Roddick.
Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, ranked second and fourth in the world respectively are scheduled to meet in the final of this week's other main grass court event in Halle, Germany.
Federer, who has won that tournament five times, was a late withdrawal two years ago suffering from exhaustion after his Roland Garros exploits. The organisers will be hoping they do not receive a repeat message today from the Swiss maestro.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)
Scores in brief:
Day 1
New Zealand (1st innings) 153 all out (66.3 overs) - Williamson 63, Nicholls 28, Yasir 3-54, Haris 2-11, Abbas 2-13, Hasan 2-38
Pakistan (1st innings) 59-2 (23 overs)
Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The Sandman
Creators: Neil Gaiman, David Goyer, Allan Heinberg
Stars: Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Jenna Coleman and Gwendoline Christie
Rating: 4/5
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 2.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded