Roger Federer will aim to write more history at his home event as the world No 2 bids for an eighth title at the Swiss Indoors starting on Monday.
The 36-year-old Swiss tennis hero will again be the main attraction in his hometown as he attempts to overhaul Rafael Nadal for year-end ATP No 1 honours with three weeks remaining in the regular season.
The Spanish No 1 is missing after pulling out due to a knee problem sustained last weekend as he lost the Shanghai Masters final to longtime rival Federer.
Federer is closing in on Nadal, who last played the event in 2015, losing to Federer in the final at the St Jakobshalle.
The venue is the place where Federer got his start in the game, serving as a tournament ball boy more than two decades ago.
Federer will begin his campaign for a seventh title this season against wild card entry Francis Tiafoe after beating the teenaged American twice this season in Miami and the US Open.
The Swiss flew back from China this week and met his coaching team to plot strategy for the remainder of the season, making the final decision at the last moment to line up in Basel.
Federer will take to the court eager to close the points gap on Nadal.
"London is my priority now, I really want to win the World Tour Finals. Everything that comes now is a bonus after the year that I've had," he said.
"Finishing as No 1 is a long shot, and I don’t think it will happen but if I play like this, who knows?”
Out to stop the momentum will be second seed Marin Cilic, the Basel holder who is fighting to earn his spot in the eight-man London finals next month.
Croatia's summer Wimbledon finalist opens against Fernando Verdasco in the first round after going out to Nadal in the Shanghai semis.
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Read more
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Federer ecstatic about 2017 but already sets sights on 2018
Graham Caygill: Nadal can remain as No 1 for a long time
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Belgian David Goffin takes the third seeding, and starts with a qualifier while fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro plays Portugal's Joao Sousa.
Jack Sock, seeded fifth, faces Briton Aljaz Bedene, with the American trying to recover form after four first-round losses since mid-August along with a defeat at the Laver Cup last month.
Spaniard Robert Bautista Agut, France's Adrian Mannarino and German Mischa Zverev round out the remaining seeds.
The specs: 2018 Audi R8 V10 RWS
Price: base / as tested: From Dh632,225
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 540hp @ 8,250rpm
Torque: 540Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L / 100km
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
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%3Cp%3EYears%3A%20October%202015%20-%20June%202024%3Cbr%3ETotal%20games%3A%20491%3Cbr%3EWin%20percentage%3A%2060.9%25%3Cbr%3EMajor%20trophies%3A%206%20(Premier%20League%20x%201%2C%20Champions%20League%20x%201%2C%20FA%20Cup%20x%201%2C%20League%20Cup%20x%202%2C%20Fifa%20Club%20World%20Cup%20x1)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
