After a decade at the absolute pinnacle of the game, reaching heights in some years attained by no other player ever, after a decade that has brought 14 grand slam titles, one poor-ish season and this is where Rafael Nadal finds himself?
This is a strange old place, where people are beginning to wonder whether or not the best years of his career have passed him by. Every question, every interview, including one he gave to The National just recently, the line of questioning is the same — are we at the end now, Rafa? What next, Rafa? Can you win again, Rafa?
If you are Nadal, it must be insulting at some level to be questioned about it. The first year in 11 you do not win a grand slam title and boom, people are wondering whether you are finished.
It might explain the occasional tetchiness of his responses to such questions (he tends to see the worst in all questions, even via email). The day before his semi-final win over David Ferrer at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships (MWTC), he was asked about his expectations for the year ahead, and whether he needed to make a big comeback.
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“Not a big comeback, I am No 5 in the world actually,” he said. “It seems like I’m No 50 or something like this.”
Still, it is true that of the big four, nobody will be under greater scrutiny this year than Nadal and no need for anyone to be reminded that he is ranked just outside the top four currently.
What will he do this season? Does he need to win a slam to prove that he is not spent? Can he exist in the rarely occupied space in which Roger Federer currently resides, where, though he is not winning majors, he is expanding our idea of late-career greatness?
His three-set win over Ferrer, as he said himself, was so intense it felt like a mid-season match, rather than an exhibition to open the season. And there were moments when Nadal came to the net, when a future course of action appeared to present itself.
Stan Wawrinka: 'I know I can beat the top guys but a grand slam title in 2016 is not a goal'
Nadal does come to the net more often than he is given credit for and there is no denying that he is more than just an adept volleyer — he actually has great, soft hands, as on plentiful display against Ferrer.
As a way to cut points shorter and to thus impose a lesser toll on his body, it is a no-brainer way to move forward. His serve does not always feel assertive enough to allow regular forays, but as crucially, it goes against the grain of how he has grown up playing.
It was, for example, when he came under pressure at certain moments against Ferrer that he chose to stay back at the baseline and not come in. He is an undisputed genius from that area of the court, enough to still win most of those points when it mattered.
But that approach is what has taken so much from him physically and maybe the regularity with which he approached the net against Ferrer, just maybe, it is a sign of what we might see more of this season.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ENGLAND SQUAD
Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
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if you go
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
