ABU DHABI // The last time Andy Roddick visited the UAE he returned to the United States triumphantly holding the Dubai Championship trophy he captured somewhat surprisingly at the expense of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
The popular American begins his quest for an Emirates double today when he kicks off the inaugural Capitala World Championship at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi this afternoon.
At just before 3pm he will take to the court alongside his first-round opponent, Nikolay Davydenko. This best-of-three-sets match will be followed by the day's other match, Britain's Andy Murray against Roddick's fellow American, James Blake.
Tomorrow, the winner between Roddick and Russian Davydenko will meet Spain's Wimbledon champion Nadal while Murray or Blake will face Switzerland's Federer. The final will be at 5pm on Saturday.
Roddick, 26, claims to be in peak physical condition and ready for the challenge. "I am really looking forward to this event as this will be my first competitive tennis of the new year," he said.
"I have never trained so hard and I am in the best shape of my professional career. There is a strong field and I'm looking forward to making a great start."
He will take heart from his performances at the Dubai Tennis Centre 10 months ago when he rose magnificently to the occasion and overcame Nadal on the way to winning the 25th of his 26 career titles.
"Beating Nadal and winning the tournament was awesome," he reflected. "I felt like I started to hit the ball really well. I feel I played great tennis in Dubai so I'm looking forward to coming back to the Middle East and doing the same."
The strong-serving Roddick believes he can add another grand slam title to the 2003 US Open title he captured on home territory. Where will that be? "Anywhere but the French Open," he replied, mindful that his game is not suited to the red clay of Roland Garros.
Does that mean he is a contender for the forthcoming Australian Open? "Whoever will beat me will have to play well," he warned. "I am feeling good and have done well with two semis and a quarter final."
Similarly, he is not giving up on regaining world No 1 status in what promises to be a highly competitive year for those in the top 10. "I don't think I'd be still playing if I didn't think I could be No 1 again," he added.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
Tournament preview, s11
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20Tabby%3Cbr%3EFounded%3A%20August%202019%3B%20platform%20went%20live%20in%20February%202020%3Cbr%3EFounder%2FCEO%3A%20Hosam%20Arab%2C%20co-founder%3A%20Daniil%20Barkalov%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Payments%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2040-50%20employees%3Cbr%3EStage%3A%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Arbor%20Ventures%2C%20Mubadala%20Capital%2C%20Wamda%20Capital%2C%20STV%2C%20Raed%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Founders%20Capital%2C%20JIMCO%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20Venture%20Souq%2C%20Outliers%20VC%2C%20MSA%20Capital%2C%20HOF%20and%20AB%20Accelerator.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Apple%20Mac%20through%20the%20years
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Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO
Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
