Great job, Doug. Now here's something I don't understand. How come everything in a duty free shop with the exception of cigs and alcohol is three times more expensive than in a regular "store"? Enjoy you stay, look forward to next post. . .

I would love to go to Dubai,UAE.

I really hope Mauresmo wins, and Medina Garrigues doesn't send her into retirement.

Someday during my retirement my dream is to visit and see the Dubui,UAE and get Roger Federers Autogragh and buy his hat.

Wow. Fantastic, Doug. I wish I could quit my job so I could spend more time reading great writing.

Pink Floyd, eh? I'm liking Dubai already.

Let's hear it for oil, eh? What a substance. Makes the world go 'round. I'm just glad I'll be gone when we run out. :)

Doug: Great piece. And like Sherlock, I like the Pink Floyd comment.

It would be appropriate if they played "Money" by Pink Floyd. Ca-ching, ca-ching. HA!

What a fascinating place. I wouldn't say no to an opportunity to go there one day.

Thanks for a great piece.

"when you run out of explanations you have to get creative, right"
I am quite sure that I really do not agree with this statment. Are you implying that Serena did not have oral surgery or are you of the view that she is just making excuses. I am one of those people who truly believe that Serena has done alls he can for herself, her career and her country and if she feels that in not playing a tournament she can cite an injury, however spurious we may think it is, then it is her right. She is the one who is losing out. Her fans as well, but I believe the poor girl has earned the right to withdraw from a tennis tournament. Look at poor Julie Ditty, 8 weeks straight and now paying the price. Kim Clijsters, 24 years old, retired, JJ 23 years old, broken down body and the list goes on and on. At some point in time athletes will have to look out for themselves because God knows the sports journalists who should be objective really dont.

"It would be appropriate if they played "Money" by Pink Floyd. Ca-ching, ca-ching. HA!"

Good one, Maplesugar!

"The poor girl???" Uh, we're not talking about Shrinking Violet, here, more like Attila the Hen.

Hmmmm, I'm going to read this properly later, but I wanted to say first - Did anyone see that Dr. Ace just got broken twice in one set? What HAPPENED? :)
Poor Ivo...

Dubai- a soulless manmade country representing man at his most shallow, fake, and greedy of the 21st century. No wonder Federer loves it there.

A manmade country? As opposed to those countries that aren't manmade?

I thought Dubai is a city - not a country

it is an emirate -part of the UAE and also used for the name of the city - so really close to both

I am a huge Fed fan and the only thing I don't like is his association with Dubai. I have no respect for this country which has indentured servants who are trapped in the country because their passports are taken until the workers can pay off their transportation costs. The country to also destroying the environment with their ridiculous buildings.
I'm hoping that soon Roger will realize that he shouldn't be affiliated with this country.

Well, NY Philharmonic performed in Pyongyang, a city known to be part of the Axis of Evil, according to a certain Mr. Bush. Should we start condemning the NY Philharmonic now?

Hmmmm. . .Doug Robson just emailed me to say that access to TennisWorld is blocked in Dubai. At the risk of sounding self-important, I wonder if this has anything to do with the criticisms I and others have expressed here about the UAE and its policies in the past. Guess I need to start making inquiries.

PS - I ought to add, in all fairness, that I was invited to attend Dubai by the organizers, on a "special guest" AEP basis, I take it from the original email. So either they never connected the dots on me and TW, or there is some benign reason for why TW can't be had in Dubai.

Pete,
Please find out about Dubai. Inquiring minds would like to know.

Can't Robson e-mail you Pete, and then you can post it? I'm glad you're not following the USTA line that tennis is thriving in the US. If you bring up tennis in a group of sports fans in NY, they look at you like you're crazy.
Interesting story about Likhovtseva. She came back for a few months before retiring to have a family.

Yeah, I've already asked Doug R. to ask around -

earlier this week youtube was blocked by Packistan and it created chaos on the internet and many sites. Perhaps??

Soon enough Dubai will be the top destiny for tourists and the hottest place in the world. Doha is not so far behind, loved them both in 2006.

Pete - I'm joining TT on that one, it may be linked to Pakistan blocking youtube, I understand that the 'offensive' clips were taken down from youtube and Pakistan had lifted the ban, so he should try again.

Or, TT - it seems that a number of sites are blocked in Dubai, I've asked Doug if I can post a brief email he wrote me about it but haven't heard back yet.

Mr. Bodo,

Yep--that's exactly what happened! The powers that be were informed (be me, perhaps) of your catty remarks. Stick to Costa Rica, big guy, as you aint going to Dubai.

And welcome back, of course.

--Liron

good luck but it would be something for the old CV is one could include banned by an entire country (or emirate or city state even).

I have been denied entry due to visa stamps in the old passport but never banned entirely. Congratulations.

"Soon enough Dubai will be the top destiny for tourists and the hottest place in the world. Doha is not so far behind, loved them both in 2006."

SwissMaestro, I am being sincere in my question here so please don't take it wrong, but what makes it so attractive? I honestly don't have the slightest bit of interest, so I'm curious.

What Schwab said at 3:44.... I'd really like to know the official reason for the blocking.

Siggy: In all fairness, participating in a cultural exchange activity cannot be equated with choosing to take up residence (as opposed to being born and growing up) in a country or (as another of my fave tennis players did) saying that "Dubai is the way the world should be."

I am in favor of having the ATP and WTA continue to sponsor tournaments in any country as long as ALL players are allowed to participate under equal circumstances (except, of course, for the extra protection that Peer had been rightly given)and all fans are allowed to attend.

Sherlock: I'm curious, too. It seems like a too long trip to enjoy hot weather (during the US winter) that can be had in the Caribbean or even closer to home and to view the kind of man-made wonders that one can see in Las Vegas, Disneyworld et al (and I'm being serious here.)

i would be positively shocked if the powers of dubai considered TW specifically important enough to be blocked.
but this is a crazy world, anything can happen so why not this...still, it would boggle my mind to say the least.

Sherlock,
in my mind i envision dubai something to be like las vegas. without the gambling (?) maybe but instead with real coastline and beaches instead of being landlocked.
glitz, pomp, artificial wonders of the world (skiing in a resort in the desert, 8 star hotels, shaped islands,...) all set in a middle eastern world of one thousand and one nights...
they are building on their entertainment status too. tennis tourneys, car racing, maybe big golf tournies in the future? concerts? mind boggling architecture, etc etc...
they know their oil won´t last forever and by all accounts i´ve read they want to transfrom dubai into a tourist hotspot, a destination where everyone dreams to be and into a finance and logistics centre, dubai ports is already a big player i think and tried to buy US ports but your politicians weren´t fond of it ultimately (already forgot the story but it made some minor news here, bush vetoed it? something like that).
another factor which might make it attractive is the rapid change it is undergoing. like shanghai it is transforming fast, is always in the news. it is talked about constantly.
so people might want to go there, see what it´s all about.

Ruth,

That's quite apt, actually. In fact, I've been told that the city-state is a perfect amalgamation of Disneyland and Las Vegas. More precisely, perhaps: a soulless dessert paradise.

--Liron

and to add to Ruth´s point the opposite view,
it is not such a long trip for europeans (and lots of others too i guess) as visiting vegas et al in the US. ;)

hmmm. have a bit trouble with loading the TW page properly now. dubai behind this? just kidding...

The Fed is practising alas there's still no sign of a coach...the good news is that Luthi is present...

http://tinyurl.com/2ba2dy

Lots of independent opinions and thoughts are openly expressed on this site. Sometimes these opinions are highly political. I wouldn't doubt that this site and many others are blocked by more than one country. I also would presume that here, more than a few sites are blocked as well.

ks

PS: I join Bizzy in his incredulity that Dubai would block TW...then again anything is possible

Bismarck, thanks for that. Would you like to go there yourself?

Thanks, Ruth and Liron as well. Interesting. I guess a Vegas-type beach resort would appeal to many. Me, I've been to Vegas thrice, and it was three times too many. Yick. :) I just don't get it. But different strokes make the world go 'round. Obviously, a few people do like Dubai. :)

Ruth, who said, "Dubai is the way the world should be"??

Posted by Sherlock 02/26/2008 @ 4:29 PM

"Soon enough Dubai will be the top destiny for tourists and the hottest place in the world. Doha is not so far behind, loved them both in 2006."

SwissMaestro, I am being sincere in my question here so please don't take it wrong, but what makes it so attractive? I honestly don't have the slightest bit of interest, so I'm curious.

---------------

You are right Bismarck. It is pretty much an oasis in the middle of the dessert. What makes it so attractive? Well, it all actually depends on what you like. My mother is from a place in the tropic where it is very humid and the beaches down there are not as nice as they are in dessertic shores (that is to me). So much development combined with beautiful natural resources (most of them provided by wealth, it is true)kinda makes a very modern place also look natural and futuristic, unreal. I actually stayed at the Jumeirah Beach hotel because I knew I was not going to able to afford the Burj Al Arab. They have this submarine on a pond that takes you to an under the water restaurant, a very cool attraction not to mention the living complexes they are trying to build like the world map islands or the huge palm tree. Look it up in the web.

Sherlock: Don't make me squeal on one of my all-time faves -- especially since he's now retired. (Enough of a hint. :))

Sherlock: I think it was Agassi?

LOL, Ruth. That's ok, I think it finally penetrated my thick skull. :) I remember him being a fan of Dubai, but wasn't sure whether he was a favorite of yours or not. So no outright squealing required. :))

Hope none of the players has codeine cough syrup or recently ate a poppy seed bagel:

http://tinyurl.com/2k8ekr

Christopher - So that's where Federer's been!!

Sherlock,
i find its development interesting to follow, but it is not on top of my list of places i wanna visit right now.
as soon as i´ve been to barcelona, istanbul, stockholm, st. petersburg, lisbon, australia, chile, brazil, south africa (world cup 2010, woohoo!), the US and some other fascinating places i don´t have in my head right now i might go there.
there are just too many places i wanna see and unfortunately i´m not blessed with an abundance of money (so far). so maybe i´ll never visit dubai in my life. ;)
(and las vegas, i´m not interested in it at all)

*** or (as another of my fave tennis players did) saying that "Dubai is the way the world should be." ***

Figures that someone from Las Vegas would say that ...

Shisha's good. my friend has a hookah and we smoke that stuff all the time.

SwissMaestro,

Worry not. Simply develop a left-handed game and Fed will surely put you up at the Burj al Arab! Make sure, also, to work on your heat tolerance. Rumor has it that Mirka phoned Jessee Levine only after passing out during a practice session with her man.

Sherlock,

You're not alone in your hatred. Las Vegas is a sh&^hole. The partying bachelors, the frat girl drunks (all gyrating wildly to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", the retina-annihilating lights--all are sure to induce misanthropy.

--Liron

P.S. A friend once told me (dude likes Vegas) that the city has a thriving cultural scene. As proof, he cited Steve Wynn's recent Picasso purchases. The mogul did, in fact, buy a few of the Spaniard's paintings and now proudly (and ostentatiously) displays them in his office.

Ms. Rubin - you are indeed the scourge of Vegas and the avatar of righteousness on this fine day!

SwissMaestro, hey, thanks for the reply. I appreciate that. Didn't mean to start a Dubai-bashing session here. Like I said, different strokes and all that. Glad you enjoyed it. I hope you get to hit the Burj Al Arab for a few nights someday. :)

"artificial malls"

As opposed to all the natural malls that sprout up ...

Ruth, I was about to respond to you but...Pete jumped the gun and obviated the need.... ;)

Otto, ;)

Becks, still barking up the TFB tree? Look no further than Dubai, the Sin City of the Bedouins! *ducks* Good to know a certain bon vivant is finally putting in some practice time!

Bismarck, that's a fine list you've got there. I hope you get to all those someday. :)

Abundance of money always seems to be an issue, doesn't it? I've been to London a couple times for work, but I'd like to be there for Wimby (I know, pipe dream) and I'd love to do a clay circuit, Portugal, Monte Carlo, Paris. Until then, it's Montreal and Toronto on the destination list for tennis, and Victoria, British Columbia just because. :)

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2008-02-18-peer-qatar_N.htm

Here's the link to Doug Robson's USA Today article on Shahar Peer in Dubai. Got it from Wertheim's column, and I agree with him that it's a "must read." I just saw CNN's report on the Orchestra's visit to North Korea which only strengthens my support of these kinds of exchanges and sports events.

I've enjoyed Vegas during the times that I visited, but that may be because I limit nyself to $10 a day in the slots and enjoy the great rooms and good meals at low prices, the entertainment that doesn't cost an arm and a leg (comedy clubs, magicians etc), and taking day trips to places like Red Rock Canyon etc. I also love the corny stuff like the Motorcar museum (thought we'd duck in for a few minutes with our two-for-one tickets, spent about two hours instead), Liberace Museum and so on. My husband and I find Vegas the perfect place to take a complete break from our relatively serious and stressful day jobs (well, his anyway).

yeah, watching southern clay tourneys would be on my list too.
i´ve been in rome but not during tennis weeks.

it might be fun sitting in monte carlo between the fat cats and rattle fed by being noisy eating from my golden platter, jejeje.
but pipe dream, as you said.

Siggy: the TFB quest is an ongoing quest....

Just for you Siggy...Fed on CNN

http://tinyurl.com/23ss28

Liron: I guess Vegas won't be contacting you to do any ads. ;-) I'm not a big fan of it either, though like Ruth I did enjoy Red Rock Canyon.

Ruth: Thanks for posting that link.

I have never been to Dubai - and like Bismarck it is really not on my list of places I want to go
There are many others I would list well ahead of it

But , I like Vegas - for very - very short trips . It is a complete escape from the real world. I enjoy playing blackjack and craps - and there is good shopping and food available

Pete - good question about duty free shops - I think they do not need to charge "duty " cause they inflate the prices greatly on the merchandise.
Another question - has anyone ever actually paid duty through customs here ( US )
I understand it is relatively cheap - and the limit on duty free merchandise per traveler is pretty high .

Becks, thnx, that Rog interview perked me up, I feel better already! ;)

It just occurred to me, there's a totally scientific explanation for Rog's AO loss: it's the #13 jinx, grrr!

By the way, totally OT, si desole mods, could not help noting, how does Rog manage to look like a potato head (I like my men chiseled, TMI) and be so darned handsome at the same time...?

Ruth, agreed re: need for cultural exchanges, especially with regions known for socio-political repression.

"it might be fun sitting in monte carlo between the fat cats and rattle fed by being noisy eating from my golden platter, jejeje."

LOL. Love the way you think, Bismarck. :)

Sam: You're welcome. We love Red Rock Canyon. Went there and to the Hoover Dam twice, and our longest day trip was to the Grand Canyon. We'll do Death Valley one year (as long as it's not toooo hot).

Ruth: I probably would have missed out on Red Rock Canyon had it not been for a friend who had moved to the area a few months before my trip there. I've been to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon - both are must see attractions.

Doug, thanks for your post. Really looking forward to your further impressions of the tournament, etc., in Dubai.

20 reasons NOT to move to Dubai (from Escape from America Magazine):

http://tinyurl.com/ypl8vw

Thanks, Highpockets. Hmmm. Was Andre drinking when he said that's the way the world oughta be? I think I can wait. :)

Wow, highpockets. And eyeopener, to say the least. I admired the woman's blunt style, too! Thanks. :)

Sherlock - Either that or he's been hitting the crack pipe.

Tari,

I know ... beware of being "sucked into a calamitous void" isn't sugar-coating it, is it?

You said it, HP. I know this is a dead horse, but it's depressing that the super-rich love this place. Including Fed. It's just not believable that they don't know all of this. They just don't have to touch it personally. Just gives me the creeps, really.

I'm with ya, Tari.
And don't worry about beating dead horses. ;-)

Well said, Tari.

it reads a bit as if Tia O’Neill went to dubai full of hopes and dreams and things were a bit different than she expected. and a bit different than in the US.
it is unfortunate that her piece is presented without any info about her, why she moved to dubai, for how long, what her expectations were etc etc.
without such a frame it is little more than a rant (but maybe she didn´t aim for more). which is a pity cuz some of her points are really worth consideration.

Biz...I grant you that it is only one person's perspective, but goodness...even if half of it is spot on, you know? Not the first person to make these claims, either.

Can that point #5 be true? It sounds incredible regardless of how remote that district mentioned may be.

highpockets - Dubai article was very interesting - and horrifying
My mother in law used to live in Saudi Arabia - her second husband was a physician there
and her stories back up the statements made by this woman
There were some perks to living there - and then - there were so many unpleasant parts to the story
She is very glad to be home

Nice writing Doug. Enjoy the rest of your stay and I am looking forward to the rest of your blogs.

Bismarck Istanbul is a great place to hang out, and I am going to Barcelona in July and I am hoping to spend at least five days, I have been before but it was a only for 1 1/2 days. You will get there one day and it will be easier for you because you live in Europe.

I have a couple of friends who have been to Las Vegas and really loved it I can honestly say that I would hate it as I find it tacky even though I haven't been there and I'm not really into artifical Egypt etc. Casinos don't really interest me either. But I would love to go to NYC.

Interesting result out of Memphis: Venus Williams lost her first round match 2/6 6/4 6/3 to Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic! She's ranked number 143 in the world.

hi everybody! fascinating stuff on Dubai! I look forward to reading more of Doug's posts.

I don't know if this is the right place to post, but they are showing Acapulco matches on ESPN Deportes right now. Carlos Moya is up a break against Eschauer.

Karin, you beat me to that. Methinks that Venus will be the next player who will be talking about retiring soon. Her results since late last year to early this year have not been good, and she keeps losing to players who are ranked way below her. She was double faulting throughout the match and seemed to be making quite a lot of errors a la Doha. I would really be sad to see such a great champion going out to players ranked beneath her and sometimes wonder to myself at what stage do players say to themselves do I really need to keep doing this to myself, losing in first rounds of tournaments and unable to maintain a consistent level of play for any number of tournaments. Anyone with any thoughts on this.

Love the blog about Roger and his practice; and loved the interview as well. I can't wait for next week!

I think for the most part grass courts are what has kept Venus in tennis for the past three years. Had Venus not won her last two slams in 2005 and 2007, she probably would have retired by now. She's without a doubt the best player on grass courts in the women's game right now. However, once you put her on slower surfaces or surfaces with a higher bounce, her unforced error totals go up and her likelihood of winning goes down.

I think she'll she how she fares in 2008, and thinks seriously about retiring at the end of the year. She's 28, and I'm sure she has a lot of other things she wants to do in life. For example, she recently got her interior design degree and started her own clothing line.

YPF thanks for your description on Venus's play. Maybe it is a slight slump. Maybe she has been planning her wedding whenever it may happen. I like to think she can bounce back and I actually like watching her play more than Serena.

oh no, don´t get me wrong Tari.
i think most of it is either spot on or at least as much "true" as personal taste can be (re the heat etc).
that was not my point.
but i do think it is easier to value/understand/get into a person´s opinion if it isn´t presented as "nakedly" as it is here. where is she comin from? where is she going to? would have provided a tad of context to her random notes.
and generally i ask myself when reading such reports from expatriats (or seeing them in tv, not talking about dubai specifically) "what do the people expect? a golden future in an exotic paradise?"
it is already a cultural clash of some sorts between germans and swiss but compared to a US woman moving to dubai it pales of course. and reading her notes gives me the impression she had like zero clue at all how dubai would be. despite moving there.
such things baffle me. and the voice in my head screams "ignorance" almost loud enough to make me forget my own ignorance for a second.

but of course you are right, some issues raised are depressing to read. no question.

Hi Ange,
sure, the european destinations on my list should be possible for me to visit one day or another. and i have yet to meet a single person who was in barcelona and didn´t say it was one of the best places they ever visited.

what a surprising loss by venus. will be interesting to see what the sisters are capable of at miami with serena playing again nowhere since oz and venus playing but losing to largely unknown players.

was me above.
site doesn´t load properly for me. which results in me having to fill in my name every time i post. which i keep forgetting of course. dumb as i am.

Karin, I agree with you that grass is Venus' surface. She is basically unbeatable there. Like you I did fall in love with Venus first because she seemed so gracious on and off the court. I recall when commentators used to describe her as intelligent, charming, and what I thought was most important, well read. They used to say that you never saw Venus without her morning newspaper, and she not only had the morning paper, but she actually read it. She was always interested in what was happening around her. As someone who always buys the daily papers I was always happy to hear that being said about her. I was always pleased as well when they used to talk about her going to school and getting her degree and I am glad she stuck with it. I notice that quite a few of the female players are still in university pursuing their various degrees, and I would like to think that they have modelled this after Venus as quite a few players have said that they have always admired her. Sometimes I guess grand slams are important but they are really not what should define your life.
Ange, I am with you on the way Venus plays as well. So focused out there. No emotion, but when she wins, this beatific smile and twirl and the wave. She should really have that copyrighted (LOL).

Anywho, she will always be my favourite sister and she will always be my favourite tennis player. I dream of seeing her play on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Not sure if this will happen, but I would just love to see those long legs in those little bitty shorts scampering around the lawns of Wimbledon. LOL

Anywho, goodnight all. Have an early call tomorrow morning at work.

eeek. re-reading it i get the impression the german way of structuring a sentence has crept in here and there. sorry.

Good points, Bissy. Thanks for replying to me. :) Yes. I'm sure she would even admit she was very ignorant of what she was leaping into.

Nice to see all the love Venus is getting.

I just don't want to think about the day Venus retires. My interest in tennis will definitely wane considerably. There are really no other players I am so emotionally invested in. Venus and Serena's contributions are historical. Such an inspiration.

Si desole mods, I know it's OT buuuuttt...

THOMAS FRIEDMAN is on Letterman tonight!!!!! Doc Ali and Sherlock and whoever else, tune in!

Who is Thomas Friedman, he must be important as you have typed in capitals. Please don't lol.

I have just a google him to see who he was. Thought he was a writer.

Oopsie, si desole, Aussie Ange, I will henceforth refrain from screaming in capital letters! ;)

T. Friedman is a columnist for NYT, he wrote Lexus and the Olive Tree (about globalization) and... From Beirut to Jerusalem, a must-read on all things Middle East, which I found illuminating beyond anything else I ever read on the region/topic. Gaaaah, mods, I'll stop now!

tia o'neille's article is quite hilarious.

and re:venus, for some reason i fully expect her to suddenly come back screaming by taking down justine/maria/serena/ana in the next tournament or one soon after.

Vee...I'm at a loss for words...I'm just going to conveniently erase her recent matches from my memory...the amount of UFE's she's spewing is just unfreakingbelievable....

Morning all - did you see the blog about Roger's practices from Dubai?

I'm going to let the expert analyse his practices for us, but it was great fun to read.

Classy. I hope (and assume) the moderator will delete the previous two posts.

Or - I read the blog. It's the most insight I've ever gotten into Fed's practice sessions: http://www.eaglefustar.com/blog.html

BTW ... here's something a poster on MTF wrote. http://tinyurl.com/yvn628

Unfortunately, this poster echoed all my fears and anxieties regarding Fed. I too hope that the worry over his game is unwarranted. Well, the coming months will reveal if it is or isn't.

turtle = tyler durden?

maybe he's trying for some irony/contrast. biggest loser in "history of mankind".. followed by 6 time grand slam winner.

crazy-for-rog,

i know what you mean. i think all of us worry about his game. it's the idea that he hasnt' been TMF (apart from his last 4 matches at TMC) for some time now and we wonder when, or god forbid, IF, he'll ever step up to his good ol' TMF form again.

I think that Fed knows his body and mind better than anyone and having time off was probably a good idea. By reading the abovementioned training blog sounds like he is ready to tackle the rest of the year. I don't think Fed fans should start worrying just yet maybe if he doesn't win IW and Miami then you can start. I do agree that he does need a coach especially for the FO.

Hmmmm, trolls are alive and well in the middle of the night!