There have been some strange happenings in Australian tennis recently, and for once Bernard Tomic is not involved.
In August came the news of Brad Mousley’s one-year suspension for taking Ecstasy. One of Australia’s promising youngsters and the reigning Australian Open junior boys’ doubles champion, he tested positive in March after admitting to taking the drug at a party.
Earlier this month, Australia's most talented young female tennis player, Ashleigh Barty, decided to take an indefinite break from the game.
The 18-year-old Queenslander, winner of the junior Wimbledon title in 2011, took the decision following a first-round exit at the US Open – her seventh defeat in nine grand slam main-draw matches since 2012.
“Obviously, this has been a very difficult decision with the Australian summer coming up, but after a lot of thought we feel this is the right decision,” Barty said in a statement, without elaborating.
Later, Nick Kyrgios, one of the brightest young talents in men's tennis, called an end to his season, pulling out of the remaining three events on his 2014 schedule – Tokyo, Stockholm, and Vienna.
“I’ve pulled out because I’m emotionally spent. I’m a bit gone and burnt out,” Kyrgios said at his final event of the year, in Malaysia, where he lost in the first round to countryman Marinko Matosevic.
“Physically I’ve probably only got enough left for one more tournament, and mentally I’m a bit worn out. So I am looking forward to the break.”
Most fans were surprised by those statements. Kyrgios is 19 and has played only 19 matches on the tour this season, and only nine, including two Davis Cup rubbers, since he grabbed the spotlight with his win over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. If qualifying and Challenger Tour matches are included, Kyrgios has played 41 matches in 2014.
Roger Federer, who is 33, has played 66 matches this season. In 2001, when the Swiss was 19 and came into the spotlight with his win over Pete Sampras at Wimbledon, he played 70 matches on the ATP Tour.
So Kyrgios’s decision is a bit puzzling. Clearly, the time he has spent on a tennis court does not seem to be the reason for the “burn out”. The sudden stardom, and the burden of expectations that come with it, might be the cause.
You could sense that when he spoke of the attention around the new US Open junior boys’ singles and doubles champion, Australian 17-year-old Omar Jasika.
“People are bombarding him straight away and, personally, I’m still going through it as well … It doesn’t help in any way, with the hype,” Kyrgios said.
“Right now, he probably doesn’t need that stuff. I’ve had patches where it has affected my tennis. It can be draining.”
Both Jasika and Kyrgios will have to learn to cope with the glare. There can be no escape.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
