Over the past year and a half, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has been running a campaign, titled “Strong is Beautiful” to challenge stereotypes about the fairer sex. It has featured stars of the present, greats of the past and a few legends of Hollywood.
Dominika Cibulkova has been a part of that campaign as well.
But at 5ft 3ins (1.61m) tall and 55kg, the 24 year old might seem a bit of a misfit when you consider average size in the WTA locker rooms.
She is powerful, yes, and can give the ball a fearful pounding, but this is an era of imposing player, ushered in by the likes of Serena Williams (5ft 9ins, 70kg), Venus Williams (6ft 1ins, 72.5kg), Lindsay Davenport (6ft 2ins, 79kg) and, Mary Pierce (5ft 10ins, 68kg). Even Margaret Court, the most dominant player ever in women’s tennis, was a Serena-like 5ft 9ins and 67.5kgs.
Maria Sharapova (59kg), who lost to Cibulkova in the fourth round, stood 11 inches taller than her opponent.
Cibulkova, on the other hand, is the third-shortest woman on the Tour, and the shortest in the top 100. But, during her glitzy run to the final of the Australian Open, the Slovakian has shown that size might not really matter as much.
Before the final she talked of her “power” “fight” and “energy” saying her She used those gifts well in Australia and if she can keep going this way, the WTA could be looking at a new new campaign. Perhaps, “Good things come in small packages”?
arizvi@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
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
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
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
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
