NBA | Page 5 TENNIS | Page 4 Davis Djokovic scores 46 in and Nadal LA Lakers’ post wins in victory ATP Cup Sunday, January 5, 2020 CRICKET Jumada I 10, 1441 AH Black Caps on GULF TIMES the chase aft er Labuschangne’s double century SPORT Page 2 RALLYING Al-Attiyah aims for ‘dream’ fourth Dakar title in Saudi 342 vehicles were cleared to start after three days of technical and administrative scrutineering at King Abdullah Stadium Agencies new Dakar in the Middle East,” used by Nasser al-Attiyah to Jeddah said al-Attiyah. The landscapes win last year’s Dakar. are really beautiful here, I know Despite the expertise of fi ve- some regions well. I did two rac- time bike champion Marc Coma atar’s Nasser al-Atti- es here, in 2008 and 2011, and I navigating, Alonso downplayed yah, the holder of the won both. But it won’t be easy his hopes of creating history by Dakar Rally title, will for anyone, we need to under- becoming the fi rst F1 champion begin his quest to re- stand this race, which is com- to lift the Dakar. Qtain his crown today when the pletely new for everybody. “Toyota drivers are racing for 42nd edition of the gruelling “It’s a mix of terrains that the victory, for me it will be a event revs off for the fi rst time in reminds me of Africa, Morocco little diff erent, enjoy the adven- Saudi Arabia. and South America. I never re- ture,” he told a press conference As many as 342 vehicles were ally thought the Dakar would on Friday. cleared to start after three days one day come to our region “We are very realistic about of technical and administrative when I started the career, and our hopes. We are taking it step scrutineering at King Abdul- now I’m just a thirty-minute by step. I’m perfectly aware of lah Stadium: 114 motorbikes, fl ight from home! It would be a my lack of experience and per- 23 quads, 83 cars, 45 SSVs and dream to win here.” fectly aware of my lack of pace.” 46 trucks. French competi- Meanwhile, two-time For- Alonso is hoping to make it tors make up the largest na- mula One world champion to the second week “with a lit- tional contingent with 109 Fernando Alonso embarks on tle better chance to be in the riders, drivers and co-drivers, his fi rst Dakar Rally determined top places”. He is not the fi rst F1 followed by Spain (75) and the to “enjoy the adventure”. driver to take up the Dakar chal- Netherlands (50). Among them, “It’s a bit crazy for the fi rst lenge. Belgian Jacky Ickx, a win- 13 women will put on their hel- time out of tarmac, out of as- ner of eight grand prix and six- mets for the inaugural stage to phalt, to go to the toughest race time winner of Le Mans, won Al Wajh. A total of 68 nationali- in the world but I love the chal- Dakar in 1983 and came second ties are represented, including lenge,” the 38-year-old Span- in 1986 and 1989. support crews. iard said. And Frenchman Patrick Tam- Al-Attiyah will be wearing a The 2005 and 2006 F1 cham- bay, who had two wins in his 114 new helmet with 3 stars and the Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah (third left) and France’s Matthieu Baumel (left) of Toyota Gazoo Racing pose for a photograph with Prince Mishaal bin pion is one of 351 starters in the grand prix, came third in 1988 dates of the three victories he Majid, governor of Jeddah and Sports minister Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Saud during a presentation in Jeddah yesterday. gruelling 7,500 kilometre mara- and 1989. made in 2011, 2015 and 2019. Al- thon that has moved to Saudi The 42nd Dakar gets under- Attiyah, along with navigator against a lineup of rally stars in- ing teammates Giniel de Villiers Saudi Yazed al-Rajehi. tle. We’ve won three times, but Arabia from South America. way in Jeddah today, concluding Mathieu Baumel will compete cluding his Toyota Gazoo Rac- and Fernando Alonso as well as “We are here to defend our ti- I know it will be hard with this He is driving the Toyota Hilux on January 17 in Qiddiya. TENNIS Wawrinka in focus at Qatar ExxonMobil Open By Anil John Doha aking predictions in sport is tricky business even during the best of times, but doing so at the begin- Mning of a season can be a particularly nerve-wracking task and often an ex- ercise in futility. Especially in a cut-throat sport like tennis where packed schedules and big money combine to make a potent mix, there are only a handful of players about whom things can be said with a fair de- gree of certainty. The bigger the players confi rmed at a tournament, the higher the chances of getting a prediction right. For instance, it’s a no-brainer to suggest that either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal will win a particular tour- Top seed Stanislas Wawrinka of nament! They will deliver 90% of the Switzerland. time. But what if you are to choose a winner lo Endojar, something which he clearly among players in the middle and lower doesn’t relish. rungs of the game? The task becomes “It’s never nice to play a Spanish complicated. player, especially Pablo who is a good The combined total of Grand Slams friend who I have known for years,” won by Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is added Verdasco. “Also he is the only 55. At the Qatar ExxonMobil Open be- other Spanish player in the draw!” ginning tomorrow at the Khalifa Inter- Tennis players Frances Tiafoe of the US (third left), Fernando Verdasco of Spain (fourth left), Jeremy Chardy of France (fifth left) and Makel Jaziri of Tunisia (sixth left) American Frances Tiafoe, playing for national Tennis and Squash Complex, pose with tennis off icials at the draw yesterday. the fi rst time in Qatar, is impressed with top seed Stainslas Wawrinka is the only whatever he has seen so far. player with a major title under his belt – by the top four seeds is just 43, 12 less Cup due to Federer pulling out for fam- Kazakhstan in the second round and be much better,” said the Spaniard, who “I really like it so far. The courts are in fact three. that the combined total of just Grand ily reasons. could run into fourth seed Tsonga in the has won seven singles title and is un- really nice, the stadium is also pretty Russian Andrey Rublev, the second Slams won by Federer, Djokovic and Wawrinka has been handed an easy semis. None of the top four seeds were seeded in Qatar. nice, pretty big,” Tiafoe, who will be seed in Doha, has only won two ATP Nadal! draw in Qatar. The World No 16 has present at the draw yesterday, but Doha “Last year I had knee injury which taking on a qualifi er in the fi rst round, Tour titles in total, the Umag Open in The brand-new ATP Cup currently been given a bye in the fi rst round, will resident Fernando Verdasco was keen to aff ected me for a few months. It was said. With so many possibilities, pre- Croatia in 2017 and then the Kremlin on in Australia has played spoilsport. take on either France’s Jeremy Chardy make the best of the opportunity. hard period to play with that pain in the dictions are best left to the offi cials. Cup last year, events pretty much in the With the top players representing their or a qualifi er in the second round and “I have to stay focused and make a knee. So I hope to have a better 2020 “Maybe Rublev and Wawrinka in the lower rung of the game. countries at the tournament, the Qatar could run into Raonic in the semi-fi - good start. It is always a bit hard, the and put in some better performances fi nal,” said Qatar Tennis, Squash and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga of France, the ExxonMobil has to do with the best of nals. fi rst match. You need time to settle and fi ght for a big title,” added Verdasco Badminton Federation general secretary third seed, has won 17 titles and fourth the rest available. At the bottom half of the draw, Ru- down and get into the competition. I who moved to Qatar in 2015 and resides Tariq Zainal. seed Milos Raonic of Canada just 8. Even Wawrinka is here only because blev will take on either Malek Jaziri guess, I’ll be ready and be close to 100% at The Pearl. That would indeed be the best sce- The combined number of titles won Switzerland withdrew from the ATP of Tunisia or Mikhail Kukushkin of and then if I win obviously it’s going to He will be taking on compatriot Pab- nario for everyone. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, January 5, 2020 CRICKET REPORT Black Caps on the chase aft er Labuschagne’s double ton ‘It was nice to get some runs today and when you’re batting well it’s nice if you can make them count’ AFP Sydney ew Zealand made a secure start after a Marnus Labuschagne double century lifted NAustralia to a massive 454 fi rst innings total in the third Test yesterday.