Every day over three weeks, The National looks back at the 21 greatest moments in UAE sports history.
No one player has done more to contribute to the growth and success of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships than Roger Federer.
It was therefore only fitting that the Swiss superstar won his historic 100th ATP Tour title at the Aviation Club - a venue where he has enjoyed many moments of triumph, in front of packed crowds that have marvelled at his brilliance for 16 years.
Federer achieved his first Dubai title in 2003. It was the sixth of his burgeoning career. By the time he arrived in the UAE in February 2019, he was sat tantalisingly on 99, with Dubai responsible for seven of those.
Federer may have been top seed and favourite to bring up his century, but there were many an obstacle standing between the Swiss and his latest piece of tennis history.
He hadn't played for around six weeks, since his surprise defeat in the Australian Open fourth round - and the player to inflict that defeat? Stefanos Tsitsipas, who would be hot on Federer's heels as the second seed.
Federer failed to fully convince in the opening two rounds where he was pushed to three sets, first by Philipp Kohlschreiber and then by Fernando Verdasco.
The Swiss then started to hit his stride. A polished straight sets win over Marton Fucsovics followed in the quarter-finals, before he dismantled Borna Coric 6-2, 6-2 in the semis having lost his previous two matches to the Croat.
History, and a shot at revenge, beckoned in the final where Federer faced Tsitsipas, who looked to be running on empty by the time he reached the title match. The Greek had landed in Dubai immediately after winning the Marseille Open and was then pushed all the way in a three-hour slugfest against Gael Monfils to earn his place in the final.
Not that Federer had any sympathy. The top seed was at his efficient best, taking both break point chances in each set to bring up his century of trophies and his eighth in Dubai.
“I didn't come here expecting I was going to win, to be quite honest,” Federer said. “I hadn't played since Australia. I’m just happy on all fronts how my game progressed, how well I played in the final, on top of it winning the eighth, winning the 100th.
“So many magical things going on. I'm very, very happy right now.”
The 100th title made Federer only the second player to reach triple digits in ATP Tour singles titles. Only Jimmy Connors (109) lies ahead of Federer's current haul of 103.
Injury denied the Swiss the chance to defend his title earlier this year, but Dubai's greatest champion will surely be back. Perhaps next time it will be to break Connors' record.
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
