Sport360°'s tennis expert Reem Abulleil has been based at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for the past fortnight and each day offers an alternative take on the goings on at the Aviation Club.
Boris Becker took his seat in the VIP section of the stadium on Friday as he watched Novak Djokovic lose to Roger Federer, but one legend-turned-coach that has been absent all week in Dubai is Stefan Edberg.
Federer told us his Swedish coach will catch up with him in Indian Wells and that they have only been texting this week.
Apparently a semi-final against Djokovic doesn’t even warrant a phone call from Federer to Edberg.
“When I’m with him, I’m really with him. When I’m away from him, I want him to enjoy his life,” said Federer of the Swedish six-time major champion.
“I don’t want to be crazy like calling each other all the time and talking about nothing.”
Berdych bites
Earlier in the press room, someone pushed Tomas Berdych’s buttons and asked him what he needs to do to become part of the “elite group” of players.
Clearly the reporter meant ‘Big Four’ of Grand Slam champions but the question didn’t sit well with Berdych, who said: “Maybe I was part of it. I was fifth and now I’m sixth in the world. Can you help me with my stats, four years, six years in the top 10?
“Just let me know when the years are going to be enough to be enough in the top.”
Lesson learned: never suggest Berdych isn’t an “elite” player.
Language barrier
Ever wondered if Federer speaks any Arabic? The Swiss speaks four languages and has been a regular in the UAE for years and has a house here and all.
“No, unfortunately not,” he said when asked if he spoke Arabic. “Same with Slovak. My wife was born there, but I don’t speak a word.
“I do like to hear Arabic, I always stay on the TV channels because I just think it’s a nice and interesting language.”
