ABU DHABI // While Roger Federer has acknowledged that retiring from tennis had crossed his mind, one former elite player has revealed the challenges of finding the perfect time to hang up the racquet for good.
Tim Henman, 40, who took part in the Tennis at the Palace exhibition at Emirates Palace this year, retired in September 2007 after helping Britain beat Croatia in the Davis Cup at one of his favourite venues — Wimbledon.
The chance to sign off a 15-year career on the courts where his name was so well known seemed fitting, and his final singles match saw him beat Roko Karanusic in straight sets before he partnered with Jamie Murray to win their doubles match against Marin Cilic and Lovro Zovko in four sets.
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Henman said that finding the ideal moment to walk away is not always straightforward.
“When you are starting it is much easier because everything is in front of you,” he said during his visit to Abu Dhabi. “If you are ranked 1,000th you want to be 500th in the world and so on, and there are all these tournaments you want to get into and go on to win.
“When it gets to the other end it is harder. Do I play a full year? Do I play up to a certain event? Those are the questions you immediately think when you have the thought in your mind, so for me it was absolutely perfect to finish at Wimbledon.”
In Henman’s case he had not thought for too long about quitting. He had a back injury and had fallen outside the top 50 in the ATP rankings having previously been as high as fourth.
The catalyst came through a conversation with his coach, Paul Annacone, as they prepared to head to the United States in the summer of 2007 after he had exited Wimbledon in the second round, far short of his runs to the semi-finals in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002.
“It was in July, early August and I was in America playing the hard-court tournaments in the lead-up to the US Open,” Henman said.
“I was struggling with my back a bit and I had been at the top end of the game for so long I didn’t feel if my back was getting better. I was spending so much time at the gym and on the practice courts and I was not necessarily getting the rewards that I wanted.
“I was not going to be travelling around the world making up the numbers, and I remember saying to my coach that for the first time ever this is becoming a job and not my hobby.
“He said to me, ‘if you are not enjoying it, don’t do it’. I looked at him and said, ‘what, retire?’ and he said, ‘why do you want to carry on if you don’t enjoy it?’
“As soon as he said that I saw my schedule and I had two Masters series in Toronto and Cincinnati, the US Open and the Davis Cup at Wimbledon and it was just perfect to play and win my last game at Wimbledon where I had so many happy memories.”
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Karwaan
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The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
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UK
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Italy
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Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
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Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit
As he spoke, Mr Aboul Gheit repeatedly referred to the need to tackle issues affecting the welfare of people across the region both in terms of preventing conflict and in pushing development.
Lebanon is scheduled to host the fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit in January that will see regional leaders gather to tackle the challenges facing the Middle East. The last such summit was held in 2013. Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki told The National that the Beirut Summit “will be an opportunity for Arab leaders to discuss solely economic and social issues, the conference will not focus on political concerns such as Palestine, Syria or Libya". He added that its slogan will be “the individual is at the heart of development”, adding that it will focus on all elements of human capital.
