Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has looked capable of winning grand slam titles ever since reaching the Australian Open final in 2008 but has always fallen into the category of also-ran.
The popular Frenchman raised home hopes again on Tuesday when he beat Japan’s Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, in front of an adoring crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier to reach his second French Open semi-final in three years.
Now he wants to go at least one better, having also lost two Wimbledon semi-finals in 2011 and 2012, to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray respectively, the Australian Open semi-final to Roger Federer in 2010 and to David Ferrer in the French semis in 2013.
While Djokovic, who beat him in Melbourne in 2008 to earn his first major, has added seven more and currently has the world No 1 ranking locked down, Tsonga has often threatened but never quite delivered.
“These six semis, well, that’s wonderful, but I have not yet won it,” Tsonga, 30, told a news conference.
“So six semis, that’s all very nice. I have not yet won it. The good thing would be to win one day. The earlier I can do this – well, if this happens, the earlier the better, because then it will do me a lot of good.”
Tsonga celebrated beating Nishikori in a topsy turvy match by theatrically drawing a “ROLAND, JE T’AIME” with his foot on the Roland Garros clay before laying down on his back on centre court, his arms out-stretched.
After the initial euphoria, however, Tsonga will realise that he may never have a better chance to reach another final as it is Stan Wawrinka, not one of the established “Big 4” who awaits in the semi-final.
Wawrinka did him a favour by getting rid of 17-times grand slam champion Federer on Tuesday.
Should he beat Wawrinka, stiil a huge task, Tsonga would probably face either Djokovic or nine-times Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal, meaning a first major title may still be out of reach.
Tsonga, however, has his own dream.
“You’re going to be praised when you reach semis at Roland Garros as if you had already won the tournament,” he said.
“Whereas, in fact, to me it’s not ended yet. Therefore, since the most recent episodes, I try and take a lot of distance and not to pay too much attention to all these articles.
“What I do is for myself. It is my own dream.”
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
Kibsons%20Cares
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
UAE jiu-jitsu squad
Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)
Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
