Earlier this year, American tennis star John Isner, a self-confessed "die-hard fan" of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), attempted to draw "some parallels between the two worlds" he knows best, "the ATP World Tour and the WWE", in a tribute to WrestleMania on The Players' Tribune website.
Roger Federer, he wrote, was "our Shawn Michaels" and Novak Djokovic was Brett "The Hitman" Hart of tennis. Andy Murray was the British Bulldog and Nick Kyrgios the "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
And Rafael Nadal? He is the Ultimate Warrior, of course.
“That raw, intense, one-of-a-kind energy,” Isner wrote. “Both won championships, and both packed stadiums.”
More Olympic tennis
• Final: Juan Martin del Potro knocks out Nadal in an epic, will meet Andy Murray
• In pictures: Rafael Nadal shows off fitness with singles-doubles same-day double-header
So true. The tennis stadium in Rio for Nadal’s men singles semi-final clash against Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday was the perfect example of what Isner meant.
There was mayhem in the stands, especially towards the end of the third set when Del Potro served for the match after breaking for 5-4.
Nadal, the ultimate warrior, broke back to level and then raised the roof with a fist-pumping celebration routine that would not have looked out of place in a WWE ring.
In the next game, Nadal fought back from love-40 to hold serve, but eventually lost the match by two points in the tie-break.
Nadal, who had won the doubles gold with Marc Lopez for Spain on Friday, had few regrets however.
“Until 25 days ago I did not practice, I was at home, could not hit forehand,” Nadal said earlier in the week.
There were rumours that he might opt out, but there is a reason why Isner described him as the Ultimate Warrior of tennis.
For years, he has been putting his limbs on the line – “writing cheques that his body can’t cash,” as Andre Agassi once said – and this time, there was an added incentive: the honour of carrying the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony.
“Being chosen as flag-bearer helped me to take this decision,” Nadal said. “I did not want to give up on carrying the flag.”
Bestowed the honour, Nadal has surely made his nation proud, spending six minutes short of 20 hours on the court this past week, playing 10 matches across seven days, including two each on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, to win one of Spain’s three gold medals until now.
He could add a bronze as well if he defeats Kei Nishikori later Sunday night.
“What he is putting his body through this week is a testament of how much he cares,” James Blake, a former American tennis player, marvelled on NBC. “If I am a Spanish athlete, I would be so proud to have him as a flag bearer.”
Nadal was scheduled to play a third match on Thursday, in the mixed doubles alongside Garbine Muguruza, but the doctors managed to convince him to withdraw.
A wise decision, for three matches a day would have been an overload.
Even two matches a day must have been tough, but Nadal was definitely not complaining after his semi-final loss. Instead, he was counting the positives.
Nadal’s wrist was not “100 per cent” at the start of the week, but he did not look in any discomfort as he battled through the crazy schedule.
There were no signs of rust either, even though he had not played since withdrawing from the French Open, hours before his third round match in late May.
Most importantly, there was no sign of the anxiety that has plagued Nadal since the start of 2015 and that should be a good omen for the rest of the season.
Roger Federer is away until January to heal his body and Novak Djokovic has been looking fallible in recent times.
This, then, is an opportunity for Nadal to put himself back in the conversation for the big titles and if he does go on to add to his collection of 14 majors, then the Rio Olympics will be mentioned as the turning point in the footnotes.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The specs
Engine: 4 liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous electric motors placed at each wheel
Battery: Rimac 120kWh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power: 1877bhp
Torque: 2300Nm
Price: Dh7,500,00
On sale: Now
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20V8%20twin-turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E630hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20Tiptronic%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh599%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
TOP 5 DRIVERS 2019
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
2 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 4 wins, 314 points
3 Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 3 wins, 260 points
4 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2 wins, 249 points
5 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1 win, 230 points
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
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The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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RESULTS
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
What: Brazil v South Korea
When: Tonight, 5.30pm
Where: Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Fixtures (all in UAE time)
Friday
Everton v Burnley 11pm
Saturday
Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur 3.30pm
West Ham United v Southampton 6pm
Wolves v Fulham 6pm
Cardiff City v Crystal Palace 8.30pm
Newcastle United v Liverpool 10.45pm
Sunday
Chelsea v Watford 5pm
Huddersfield v Manchester United 5pm
Arsenal v Brighton 7.30pm
Monday
Manchester City v Leicester City 11pm