The post-Wimbledon spell in the tennis calendar may be lacking a little in star power at present, but that does not mean that there is no interest or fun to be enjoyed in the action going on.
At present, the men's game sees the leading quartet of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer hoovering up the prizes, while in the women's game, 2013 has been dominated by Serena Williams, with the world No 1 having seven titles to her name already.
But with the majority of the big names on the calendar resting up ahead of the US Open next month, it has given some of the lesser-known names on the ATP and WTA tours their respective moments in the spotlight.
Take Mikhail Youzhny. The Russian, 31, is a solid professional, who has had a good, but unspectacular, career. Two US Open semi-final appearances is not to be sniffed at for a man once ranked as high as No 8 in the world, but hardly the success likely to see him step out of the shadows of the likes of Djokovic.
It was therefore pleasing to see him taking the acclaim on Sunday in Gstaad after winning the Swiss Open, the eighth title of his professional career, which began in 1999.
His emotions were summed up well when he said: "When you win a tournament, it doesn't matter how you've played or who you beat."
The top four always put on a show of joy when they win a title, especially at a grand slam, but also the other events on the calendar. But there is still that expectation they were going to win beforehand.
That is why it refreshing to see players like Youzhny, and John Isner, who prevailed in Atlanta on Sunday, get their moments, while Fabio Fognini, the world No 16, has had a great month, winning in Stuttgart and Hamburg.
It has been the same for the women too, with Dominika Cilbulkova, the world No 21, winning in Stanford on Sunday, while Elina Svitolina, 18, was celebrating in Azerbaijan after lifting the Baku Cup, an emotional moment, since it was her first WTA title.
Yes, there was no Williams, Victoria Azarenka or Maria Sharapova in the field, but that should not take away from what could be a great career for the Ukrainian.
Business is set to return to normal next week with the Rogers Cup in Montreal for both tours, which starts the push toward New York and the last major of the year, but it has been refreshing to see some different names in the winner's circle in the past few weeks before we get back to seeing the usual faces in the latter stages.
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
Rooney's club record
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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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
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
