Rafael Nadal of Spain shown during a Davis Cup practice session in Denmark on Monday. Asbjoern Sand / AFP / September 14, 2015
Rafael Nadal of Spain shown during a Davis Cup practice session in Denmark on Monday. Asbjoern Sand / AFP / September 14, 2015

Rafa Nadal ready to ‘fight back’ for Spain in Davis Cup, taking first singles win



Rafael Nadal shrugged off his recent struggles to give Spain a 1-0 lead in their Davis Cup Group One relegation play-off against Denmark with a straight sets win over Mikael Torpegaard.

Nadal will end the season without a grand slam title for the first time in 10 years after losing for the first time in a major from two sets up against Fabio Fognini on his last outing at the US Open.

However, the 14-time grand slam champion was far too good for the world No 909 despite a patchy performance to win 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

“Especially on this surface that is fast I had to be aggressive. I had some problems, especially in the first set, but I am happy to get the victory and the first point,” Nadal told Spanish TV channel Teledeporte.

The 29-year-old hasn’t played a Davis Cup tie since 2013 and his country has suffered in his absence with three consecutive defeats to Germany, Brazil and Russia propelling them out of the World Group.

Nadal was also critical of the appointment of Gala Leon Garcia as Spain’s Davis Cup captain and didn’t play during her short-lived reign, but has returned with 1994 Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez now in charge.

“The last couple of years I had some injuries during the Davis Cup matches, but we have to accept we are in the second division now and fight back,” he added.

World No 8, David Ferrer, who is also making his Davis Cup return after a three-year absence, takes on Frederik Nielsen in Friday’s second rubber.

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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

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Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.

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Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta

Rating: 3.5/5

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

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Install an air filter in your home.

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2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

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2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

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2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

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Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
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Profile

Company: Libra Project

Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware

Launch year: 2017

Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time

Sector: Renewable energy

Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.


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