Novak Djokovic learned a painful lesson last year when his defence of his Australian Open championship ended unsatisfactorily with a disconsolate handshake early in the fourth set of what had been a fiercely fought quarter-final against America's Andy Roddick.
Supreme fitness has been a key factor in Djokovic holding his position as the nearest challenger to the world's top two, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but he admitted to being found wanting at the moment of reckoning in Melbourne 12 months ago when he was forced to retire through exhaustion and cramp.
"I was in the role of defending champion at a grand slam for the first time in my life so I was going through a lot of tough periods at the start of 2009," said Djokovic yesterday as he prepared to take part in the exhibition warm-up event at Kooyong.
"I didn't feel 100 per cent physically ready for the tournament, then I changed my racket and I think it all reflected on my game. I was also going through a lot of stress periods. Unfortunately, I finished the way I did - but this year is quite different and I just hope it won't finish that way."
Intensive training in Dubai and in the Italian Alps has helped the popular Serbian get himself in shape for what he expects to be another exhausting campaign. The world No 3 pushed himself through 97 matches last year - more than anybody else on the ATP Tour - and he maintained yesterday that kind of schedule is too demanding.
"We are trying to fight for the players' rights and I think it is very important that people understand how we feel," he said.
"Listening to the top players, you get the fair point. The season is just too long. And definitely, having only four or five weeks off before the start of the new season is so little. We have to have at least two months."
Djokovic's female counterpart in the world rankings is Svetlana Kuznetsova and the French Open champion joined the large list of casualties from the Sydney International tournament after a 7-5, 6-2 defeat by Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova.
The two players ranked above her - defending Australian Open champion Serena Williams and Russia's Dinara Safina - made contrasting passages into the quarter-finals.
While Williams cruised into a last-eight meeting with Vera Dushevina, dropping only three games against Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, Safina had to work much harder to secure her latest confrontation with fellow Russian Elena Dementieva.
Safina, whose temperament is fragile at the best of times, found herself 5-0 down to an inspired Agnieszka Radwanska before turning things round to go through 7-5, 6-4.
"It's not easy to play against her. She's a top-10 player and she plays very smart," said Safina, hoping to go one better this year after her 2009 Australian Open final crushing by Serena. "I think it was a very solid match for me for the first match of the year."
"Once it clicked it went all the way," Safina added. "To win nine games in a row against a top-10 player is not easy. But I found the winning games."
Serena was pleased with her return to competitive action, despite the match lasting under an hour. "It was a good workout," she said.
"It was definitely getting hotter the longer I stayed out, so I needed that. I need to play in the heat as much as I can so it was okay."
@Email:wjohnson@thenational.ae
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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RESULTS
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Company%20profile
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The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Price: Dh980,000
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
RESULT
Deportivo La Coruna 2 Barcelona 4
Deportivo: Perez (39'), Colak (63')
Barcelona: Coutinho (6'), Messi (37', 81', 84')
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: from Dh293,200
On sale: now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE-based players
Goodlands Riders: Jamshaid Butt, Ali Abid, JD Mahesh, Vibhor Shahi, Faizan Asif, Nadeem Rahim
Rose Hill Warriors: Faraz Sheikh, Ashok Kumar, Thabreez Ali, Janaka Chathuranga, Muzammil Afridi, Ameer Hamza
RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
Company%20Profile
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Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Company%20Profile
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GRAN%20TURISMO
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
