Novak Djokovic's next target and Serena Williams second best: US Open talking points


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No 1 the next goal for Djokovic

It took a little longer then expected but Novak Djokovic is back to being the dominant force of men's tennis.

His US Open title victory over Juan Martin del Potro on Sunday was his second successive grand slam success after winning Wimbledon and puts him up to No 3 in the new world rankings released on Monday.

The 31-year-old Serb is the first player to win back-to-back majors since he achieved the same feat in 2016 [Australian and French Open], and he looks back to the levels that saw him sweep all before him for most of the early part of this decade.

So what next for Djokovic? Reclaiming the world No 1 spot he last held in November 2016 looks a realistic goal, depending on  his schedule for the rest of the year.

He is 2,315 points behind current No 1 Rafael Nadal, who is set for a spell on the sidelines after retiring from his US Open semi-final against Del Potro on Friday with a knee injury.

With Roger Federer, the No 2, also struggling for form, the path looks clear for an assault by Djokovic to regain top spot.

There is a lot of tennis still to be played this year, including the Shanghai and Paris Masters, and a lot of ranking points to be won.

Djokovic did not play between July and December last year, so he can only gain points from here, while both Nadal and Federer have big totals to defend. There is every possibility Djokovic, whose victory over Del Potro saw him move level with Pete Samprass on 14 grand slams, could end the year as world No 1.

Naomi Osaka won her maiden grand slam at the US Open, defeating Serena Williams in Saturday's final. Reuters
Naomi Osaka won her maiden grand slam at the US Open, defeating Serena Williams in Saturday's final. Reuters

Osaka a worthy winner

It is easy to forget, given all the furore over Serena Williams, that Naomi Osaka won her first grand slam at the US Open on Saturday.

The 20 year old became the first Japanese to win a major, prevailing 6-2, 6-4 over Williams. It is a shame her achievement has been overshadowed by the drama involving Williams and her outbursts towards the umpire Carlos Ramos.

Osaka was superb in defeating Williams, holding her nerve when she could so easily have been distracted by the chaos. The way she took apart Madison Keys in the semi-finals was just as impressive.

It was not the first time Osaka had beaten Williams. She swept aside her childhood hero in straight sets in Miami in April, so Saturday's victory should not be considered a fluke, even with Williams being hit with three violations for various offences.

Osaka is young enough to win another grand slam. Hopefully she will get another chance to enjoy the spotlight and celebrate her own achievements.

Osaka's success highlights the unpredictability of the women's game; she is the eighth player to win a major in the past eight tournaments.

With confidence high after her New York triumph, Osaka, now into the WTA top 10 for the first time in her career, will look to follow in Djokovic's footsteps and win a second slam in succession at next year's Australian Open.

Williams second best

When Serena Williams looks back on her US Open final meltdown she will hopefully acknowledge most of it was born out of frustration at her own failings rather than any campaign against her or women players.

The American, chasing a record-equaling 24th grand slam title, was, rightly, upset to be penalised for receiving coaching from the stand from Patrick Mouratoglou, something she denied seeing but Mouratoglou admitted to in an interview with ESPN.

But her outbursts at the umpire should not disguise the fact Williams was second best to Osaka.


Williams said post-match she does not know what the outcome would have been if she had stayed calm and not been penalised. But to most observers Osaka was simply too good for her on the day, just as Angelique Kerber was in the Wimbledon final. The fact that Williams has reached two consecutive grand slam finals less then a year after giving birth is testament to her greatness.

When the backlash subsides - Williams was fined a total of US$17,000 (Dh62,000) by the tournament's refereeing body on Sunday - and she takes stock Williams will know she needs more consistency from her groundstrokes and better movement from the back of the court if she is to finally equal Margaret Court's 24 grand slams.

Only time will tell if Williams, at 37, still has the desire to put in the hard yards.

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Read more:

US Open champion Novak Djokovic: I owe Federer, Nadal

Naomi Osaka wins US Open after Serena Williams 'umpire thief' meltdown

Explainer: what caused Serena Williams' US Open final meltdown?

Naomi Osaka shows killer instinct, soft heart in grand slam breakthrough

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Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

 

 

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While you're here
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

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ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY

Starting at 10am:

Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang

Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)

Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)

Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera 

Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas

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Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

MATCH INFO

Burnley 0

Man City 3

Raheem Sterling 35', 49'

Ferran Torres 65'

 

 

RESULTS

6.30pm: Meydan Sprint Group 2 US$175,000 1,000m
Winner: Ertijaal, Jim Crowley (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap $60,000 1,400m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

7.40pm: Handicap $160,000 1,400m
Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

8.15pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group 3 $200,000 2,000m
Winner: Folkswood, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

8.50pm: Zabeel Mile Group 2 $250,000 1,600m
Winner: Janoobi, Jim Crowley, Mike de Kock

9.25pm: Handicap $125,000 1,600m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

AIR
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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Race card

1.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

2pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m

2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m

3pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1.950m

3.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m

4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m

4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)

23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees

Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.

F1 2020 calendar

March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.

ARABIAN GULF LEAGUE FIXTURES

Thursday, September 21
Al Dahfra v Sharjah (kick-off 5.35pm)
Al Wasl v Emirates (8.30pm)

Friday, September 22
Dibba v Al Jazira (5.25pm)
Al Nasr v Al Wahda (8.30pm)

Saturday, September 23
Hatta v Al Ain (5.25pm)
Ajman v Shabab Al Ahli (8.30pm)

UAE gold medallists:

Omar Al Suweidi (46kg), Khaled Al Shehhi (50kg), Khalifa Humaid Al Kaabi (60kg), Omar Al Fadhli (62kg), Mohammed Ali Al Suweidi (66kg), Omar Ahmed Al Hosani (73), all in the U18’s, and Khalid Eskandar Al Blooshi (56kg) in the U21s.

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic

Power: 242bhp

Torque: 370Nm

Price: Dh136,814

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets