MADRID // The Spanish world No 1 Rafael Nadal is looking forward to the unusual setting for this weekend's Davis Cup semi-final against the United States, which he expects will be an "unforgettable" experience.
The contest will take place at the awe-inspiring Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid, an arena normally reserved solely for bullfighting.
For someone whose career has largely been limited to traditional tennis venues, Nadal is looking forward to the chance to play in the 24,000-capacity bullring.
"It is going to be an unforgettable experience to play in an arena like Las Ventas," he said.
"It is special to play at home and more so in a place like this."
Nadal, 22, will be the big draw in the Spanish capital after a remarkable season which has seen the Mallorcan win eight tournaments - including the French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic gold - while replacing Roger Federer as the world No 1.
His hopes of adding the US Open title to his list of achievements was ended by his semi-final defeat to the Briton Andy Murray earlier this month.
Nadal also boasts an impressive Davis Cup singles record, having won eight of his nine matches and six out of six on clay.
If Spain are victorious against the defending champions they will be through to a sixth final.
"It's true that I've had an intense season, but to play at home against the United States in a Davis Cup semi-final is an extra motivation for me," said Nadal.
"I cannot judge how I am yet. There are three-and-a-half days remaining, but you need to be at your best because it is going to be a difficult match." The US have added Mardy Fish to their squad after the doubles player Bob Bryan was ruled out through injury.
Bryan is recovering in the States after receiving a cortisone shot for an inflamed left shoulder.
"I aggravated it pretty bad at the US Open and only made things worse," he said.
"I knew if I wanted a chance to play the rest of this year, I had to shut it down now. I can't even hit any balls."
It will be the first time in 16 Davis Cup matches that Bryan and his twin brother, Mike, will not have played together.
Fish, ranked 23 in the world, practised on the clay surface with Mike Bryan yesterday and could line up with him in the doubles.
The other team members are Andy Roddick and Sam Querrey.
"When you have a pair like the Bryans that know each other well and consolidate each other, a match against them is always difficult," the Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario said. "But Fish reached the quarters of the Australian and US Opens and comes with talent even if he doesn't play doubles in a consistent fashion."
The best-of-five series begins on Friday with two singles matches, followed by the doubles on Saturday and reverse singles Sunday.
Bryan's withdrawal is the second high-profile loss for the American team. The singles player James Blake, who has been a regular on the team since 2005, pulled out last week citing exhaustion, making way for Querrey.
Though Spain appear the overwhelming favourite now, Sanchez Vicario said the team were doing some adjusting of their own to the Spanish capital's high altitude.
"It is something that influences the game very much, but we feel positive here and we will look to play the best we can," he said.
"We came here early to accustom ourselves to it."
Igor Andreev said Russia are capable of defeating Argentina in the other semi-final.
The world No 19 is expected to be one of the two singles players in Shamil Tarpischev's team to play at the Estadio Parque Roca in Buenos Aires.
Andreev is confident the team are good enough to claim victory.
"It will be extremely tough because Argentina have great players and their fans will be behind them," he said.
"However, we have a good team too and we'll surely battle until the end. We feel we can win.
"I played [Juan Martin] Del Potro once and lost this year in Munich. I have not played [David] Nalbandian. Del Potro is playing in great form and he has recently won four tournaments in a row, so he has confidence ahead of the tie.
"David is not enjoying his best form but he is a very dangerous player anyway. He can be back to his best at any moment.
"The crowd will be important. The surface is not an advantage for them, but their people are."
* Agencies
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Results
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,000m; Winner: Dhafra, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Al Ajayib, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
4pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Ashtr, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Majed Al Jahouri
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Falcon Claws, Szczepan Mazur, Doug Watson
5pm: Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Cup – Prestige Handicap (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Al Mufham SB, Al Moatasem Al Balushi, Badar Al Hajri
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What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
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Five healthy carbs and how to eat them
Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand
Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat
Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar
Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices
Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants
Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs
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Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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