As Rafael Nadal joins the 1000 club, a look at the five best matches of his career



To celebrate Rafael Nadal reaching 1000 ATP Tour-level matches, Ahmed Rizvi looks back at the Spaniard's five best performances from his illustrious career. To move on to the next slide, click the red arrow in the bottom right corner of the image, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe the image.

2008 Wimbledon final v Roger Federer

This final — duel No 18 in the Nadal-Federer rivalry — is often referred to as one of the greatest games in the sport’s history. Federer had lost three consecutive Roland Garros finals to Nadal, but the grass courts of the All England Club were his domain. The Swiss had won five consecutive titles, defeating the Spaniard in the last two finals. But Nadal was not to be denied a third time — he triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 after four hours and 48 minutes of tennis to become the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French-Wimbledon double in the same year.

2009 Australian Open final v Federer

Facing off for the first time at the Australian Open — and the first time since their Wimbledon final — Nadal and Federer served up another five-set epic, which the Spaniard edged 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2. Nadal’s win stopped Federer from equalling Pete Sampras’ then record of 14 grand slam titles and, incredibly, he clinched that four hour, 19 minute final after defeating Fernando Verdasco in a five hour, 14 minute marathon in the semi-finals. The sight of Nadal consoling a tearful Federer is an enduring image from that match.

2009 Madrid Open Semi-final v Novak Djokovic

A duel that lasted four hours and three minutes, this Madrid semi-final is often remembered for the high level of tennis from both Nadal and Djokovic, especially in the third set tie-break when the then world No 1, leading Djokovic 13-4 in their head-to-head at the time, prevailed on his third match point, for a 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 win.

2010 US Open final v Djokovic

Having defeated Federer in the semis, Djokovic had come into the match high on confidence, especially since he had saved two match points in that five-set thriller. The Serb had also won his last three matches against Nadal since Madrid. But Nadal came into the match looking for a career grand slam and he was not to be denied, winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 to become the seventh player to win each of the four grand slams.

2017 Australian Open final v Federer

Given their injuries and age, not even the most optimistic of fans would have dreamt of another Nadal-Federer grand slam final. Nadal’s last grand slam final was the 2014 French Open, while Federer had not won a major since 2012 Wimbledon. But they proved their doubters wrong with episode No 35 of their fabled rivalry. Federer’s last win over Nadal in a grand slam had come in the 2007 Wimbledon final. He brought that drought to an end with a memorable 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win. But after two years of struggle, reaching the final and coming so close to winning was a real accomplishment by the Spaniard.

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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
UAE SQUAD

UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards

Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi

Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances

All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.

Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.

Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.

Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.

Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.

Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Bio

Name: Lynn Davison

Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi

Children: She has one son, Casey, 28

Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite Author: CJ Sansom

Favourite holiday destination: Bali

Favourite food: A Sunday roast

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
​​​​​​​

Company Profile

Company name: Big Farm Brothers

Started: September 2020

Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur

Based: Dubai Investment Park 1

Industry: food and agriculture

Initial investment: $205,000

Current staff: eight to 10

Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets

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PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 630bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh810,000

Maestro
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%2C%20Carey%20Mulligan%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
The biog

Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician

Hometown: Ghazala, Syria

Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978

Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter

Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi

Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.

Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo

Favourite food: fresh fish

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The biog

Age: 30

Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium

Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology

Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging

Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Kibsons%20Cares
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company profile

Name: Tratok Portal

Founded: 2017

Based: UAE

Sector: Travel & tourism

Size: 36 employees

Funding: Privately funded

Company%20profile
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