iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
Italian coach praises his team who 'gave their all' to secure victory in a pulsating Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Novak Djokovic hails Dubai’s ‘champion mentality’, calls city his ‘second home’
The 22-time Grand Slam winner also praised the emirate's 'incredible and rapid growth'
Supplied photos
World No. 1 men’s tennis player Novak Djokovic described Dubai as his “second home” and hailed its winning mentality at Dubai Future District Fund’s (DFDF) annual general meeting today.
The Serbian tennis player praised the emirate’s “incredible and rapid growth” in a conversation with Becky Anderson, Managing Editor at CNN Abu Dhabi & Anchor, at the Museum of the Future. The 22-time Grand Slam winner lauded Dubai and the UAE’s “culture of innovation” which has had a major positive impact around the world.
“I want to have Dubai as a base for my business and innovation,” the 35-year-old said in a fireside chat titled ‘Belief to Champion’. “I love the champion mentality here in Dubai. I love that people here want to be the best in the world. And I’m sure that with this kind of mentality and approach, they will become the leaders.”
In a wide-ranging discussion, Djokovic spoke on the “trials and tribulations” he faced as a young child growing up in conflict-hit Serbia, and how those experiences helped him become one of greatest-ever men’s tennis players.
“I was a young boy who dared to dream big and believe that those dreams would come true,” he added. “Obviously coming from a war-torn country in the 90s, it wasn’t easy, and there was a lot of adversity in society and challenges that my family had to face to support and fund the career of a tennis player.
“It has had a great influence on my character. Waiting in line for several hours from 6am to have a piece of bread that we would all share. It was hard, but at the same time I look back and reflect on that as a very important stage in my life.”
When technology benefits the disadvantaged
Jessica Smith, an Australian Paralympic swimmer who has one of the world’s most advanced bionic arms, also spoke at DFDF’s meeting. Fitted with a prosthetic limb at 18 months old and then suffering third-degree burns to 15 per cent of her body as a toddler, Smith said she understood adversity when medical professionals saw her as “broken and incomplete”.
ALSO READ:
More news from Sports
Manchester City's dream of becoming the first team in history to claim the three titles in back-to-back years falls to pieces in penalty shootout loss
Capitals race to victory inside nine overs after the Titans were dismissed for their lowest IPL score of 89 since they debuted in 2021
The 22-time Grand Slam title winner was returning to action for the first time after missing most of the 2023 season
World No 3 focused on winning in Stuttgart, Madrid or Rome to get a title on the surface under her belt
The game’s rising stars and DP World Tour winners will be in action over the next four days at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
USA Basketball confirmed a formidable 12-man roster bristling with NBA talent
Italian giant-killers will look to build on 3-0 advantage and deliver final blow to English outfit at Stadio di Bergamo in second leg of Europa quarter-finals
