Rafael Nadal would have certainly preferred a celebratory cake to mark the occasion. Instead, he was served a bagel by a merciless Philipp Kohlschreiber in the opening set of his 1,000th match.
Nadal did recover from that bad start – the 14th 0-6 set of his career – to make sure he would remember his milestone just as he remembers his first.
“I remember the first match very well because it was at home in Mallorca,” Nadal said after overcoming his German opponent at the Miami Masters 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Sunday. “It was my first victory on the ATP and was a great feeling.”
That first win came against Ramon Delgado on April 29, 2002. Since then Nadal has missed nearly 30 months of competition due to a plethora of injuries to his knees, wrist and spine. The Spaniard has also had to battle with a rare birth defect called Kohler’s disease, a bone disorder which causes the navicular bone to temporarily lose blood supply, which forced him to contemplate giving up tennis as early as 2004.
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More on Miami Masters
■ WTA: Kerber and Halep reach fourth round as Keys falls
■ ATP: Djokovic and Murray withdraw through injury
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Given the nature of those injuries and the physicality of his game, few people thought Nadal would go on to have such a long and illustrious career.
Writing in his book, Rafa, Nadal said being diagnosed with Kohler's disease was "like a shot to the head" and had left him in "a state of deepest gloom", and "without appetite for life".
Yet Nadal came back in 2005 to win the first of his nine French Open titles and four Masters 1000 crowns, finishing the season with a staggering win percentage of 89 (79-10). It was the best season by a teenager on the ATP Tour since Bjorn Borg in 1974.
Nadal’s bruising efforts, however, took their toll and he was forced to skip the 2005 World Tour Finals and the 2006 Australian Open because of pain in his foot. Andre Agassi had already warned Nadal of the consequences after losing the 2005 Montreal Masters final in three sets to the Spaniard. “He’s writing cheques that his body can’t cash,” the eight-time grand slam champion had said.
Even Nadal’s uncle and coach, Toni, feared for the longevity of his nephew’s career. “Hopefully, we can get two more years out of him,” Toni said in 2005. But Nadal is still here, bouncing back from extensive injury breaks in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2016. No wonder, he finds reason to celebrate reaching 1,000 matches.
“One thousand matches is a lot of matches,” Nadal said in Miami. “Obviously that’s good news because that says I am having a long career. During a lot of years, I heard that I’m going to have a short career, so it’s something important for me.”
Nadal is only the 11th men’s player to join the 1,000 club, headed by Jimmy Connors (1,535) and Roger Federer (1,340). Ivan Lendl, Agassi, Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe and Stefan Edberg are also on that list. Nadal, despite his injury woes, has the best winning percentage (82.2) in that club and third best of all time after Novak Djokovic (82.8) and Borg (82.7).
No mean achievement for a man with such an extensive catalogue of injuries. Nadal is showing his best form since 2014, has already reached two finals – the Australian Open and Acapulco – and all before the clay-court season, which starts next month. Should he add a 10th French Open crown to his 14 major triumphs this summer, the debate over who is the greatest between Nadal and long-time rival Federer will gain a new lease of life.
For now though, Nadal is not looking that far ahead though.
“In December, I would have paid for these results,” he said. “I think I am playing well this year, better than the last couple of years, and when that happens, I have my chances on clay.
“But Roland Garros is still five tournaments away and I know that to play well in Roland Garros, I need to play well in the earlier tournaments on clay.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Result
UAE (S. Tagliabue 90 1') 1-2 Uzbekistan (Shokhruz Norkhonov 48', 86')
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
Directed by: Pete Doctor
Rating: 4 stars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
More from Armen Sarkissian
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
SPECS
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Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
ANALYSTS’ TOP PICKS OF SAUDI BANKS IN 2019
Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital
Top pick: National Commercial Bank
Reason: It will be at the forefront of project financing for government-led projects
Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes
Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank
Reason: Defensive balance sheet, well positioned in retail segment and positively geared for rising rates
Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank
Top pick: Arab National Bank
Reason: Attractive valuation and good growth potential in terms of both balance sheet and dividends
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