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Federer prepares to defend title at Indian Wells

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Los Angeles, March 6 (IANS) Swiss World No.1 Roger Federer is getting ready to defend his title at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, where the field is notable for the absences of Spain’s Rafael Nadal, Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka, France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and France’s Richard Gasquet.

The 36-year-old Federer, who has won the event in the California desert five times, is defending 1,000 ranking points in the Coachella Valley, where he defeated Wawrinka in last year’s championship match 6-4, 7-5, REPORTS eFE.

Federer, who has won a record 20 Grand Slam titles, will hang on to the No.1 spot in the ATP rankings if he makes it to the semifinals at Indian Wells.

If Federer falters at the year’s first Masters 1000 event, Nadal will retake the top spot in the rankings on March 19 despite being out of action with a hip injury.

Federer’s return to the No.1 spot came amid one of the most remarkable runs of his career.

The Swiss star dropped out of the top 15 in the rankings when a knee injury forced him to shut down his 2016 season prematurely, but he has made a phenomenal comeback since January 2017.

He won the Australian Open and Wimbledon last year and then extended his record haul of Grand Slam titles to 20 by successfully defending his Australian Open title in January.

The main threat to Federer at Indian Wells is expected to be Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who is returning to action after undergoing elbow surgery.

Djokovic, whose ranking has fallen to No. 13 and is also a five-time BNP Paribas Open champion, was defeated by South Korea’s Hyeon Chung in the round of 16 at the Australian Open, the Serb’s first tournament since Wimbledon.

On the women’s side, all eyes will be on American Serena Williams, who is returning to competition after giving birth.

Williams, who has not played in a tournament in 14 months, won the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant.

The 36-year-old Williams lost an exhibition match to Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the French Open champion, on December 30.

Among the other players in the draw at Indian Wells are World No. 1 Simona Halep, of Romania; defending champion Elena Vesnina, of Russia; Russian star Maria Sharapova; Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, who won the Australian Open; and Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza, the reigning Wimbledon champion.

Indian Wells is offering a bonus of $1 million this year to the player who wins both the singles and doubles titles, a feat achieved by just six players: Roscoe Tanner, Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Lindsay Davenport (twice) and Vera Zvonareva.

–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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