Stefanos Tsitsipas said the Diriyah Tennis Cup will provide ideal preparation for the start of the new season while offering a great opportunity to spread the sport further in Saudi Arabia.
The Diriyah Tennis Cup returns for its second edition from December 8-10 as 12 leading male players compete at the tournament hosted at the Unesco World Heritage Site on the outskirts of Riyadh.
Tsitsipas, the Greek world No 4, will be joined by former world No 1 Daniil Medvedev, world No 8 Andrey Rublev, world No 10 Taylor Fritz, world No 12 Alexander Zverev, world No 14 Cameron Norrie, Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, and three-time Grand slam winner Stan Wawrinka.
Given the strength of the confirmed field so far, the Diriyah Tennis Cup will give the players some high-level and competitive matches as they continue to prepare for January's Australian Open.
“This is going to be very good preparation for me," Tsitsipas, 24, said. "Most players choose to have an off period from tennis but for me, it’s very important to get matches in before I travel to Australia.
“So having good competitors to compete against (top players), this is the best preparation that I can have before starting the 2023 season.”
Saudi Arabia has been increasing its involvement in international sports in recent years; hosting a Formula One Grand Prix, financing the new LIV Golf series, and putting on world title boxing fights among many other events.
The Diriyah Tennis Cup is Saudi's first significant foray into elite tennis, and Tsitsipas believes the sport's continued exposure in the kingdom will help grow the game.
“I know that the people in Saudi Arabia may not have the opportunity to see tennis players like us very often. So, for sure, I’m going to give it my best. I’m going to have a good time," he said.
On making his first visit to Saudi, Tsitsipas - a keen traveller who runs his own travel vlog on YouTube - added: “I’m happy they’re introducing a big event like this, and in the heart of Saudi Arabia to give opportunities to citizens from all over the world to explore this beautiful country, through its sports, through its very rich heritage and culture, and through other activities that are available within the country.”
Following his participation in the Diriyah Tennis Cup, Tsitsipas will make the short trip to Abu Dhabi where he competes in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship from December 16-18.
The Greek will be joined at both events by Rublev, who like Tsitsipas is hoping to use the Diriyah Tennis Cup as a chance to sharpen his skills and find some match form ahead of the new season.
“I think it’s really great because sometimes when you finish the season and you have eight weeks of not playing tournaments ... you start to feel a bit stressed or nervous because you can’t tell if you’re improving or not," the 25-year-old Russian said. "So these kind of events help to check how your level is at the moment because you compete against other great players."
Fritz, meanwhile, will arrive in Saudi following the best season of his career and the American is looking forward to playing in a new location.
“We’re always on the road and typically, it's the same places every year. So anytime we get to go to a new place, I'm always pretty excited," he said. "I've heard the event’s really nice. I'm excited to come and play against the best in the world and see how it is."
Fritz won his first Masters 1000 title this year, at Indian Wells, and reached a career-high No 8 in the world rankings. As he targets even loftier goals in 2023, the American believes the Diriyah Tennis Cup can provide the sort of preparation not typically available during the off-season.
“I think it's going to help prepare for the Australian Open and for the rest of the year because I can start out by playing against the best players in the world," Fritz, 25, said. "The field is so strong, so it's always great to surround yourself with a lot of great players.
“People should come to support because hopefully it’ll be a lot of good tennis," he added. "Hopefully they’ll be cheering for me to win. They can expect a lot of big hitting, big serving, and hopefully some nice shot-making."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
Scoreline
Man Utd 2 Pogba 27', Martial 49'
Everton 1 Sigurdsson 77'
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Director: Scott Cooper
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
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Runners up: RAK Rugby
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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.
