Follow the latest news on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Rafael Nadal is glad to have avoided any damage in Bastad ahead of the Paris Olympics, but he is not too happy with the level of his tennis and fitness.
The 38-year-old Nadal, who missed almost all of 2023 with a hip problem and has been limited to six events this year because of a muscle tear and fitness issues, lost 6-3, 6-2 in the Swedish Open final to Portuguese seventh seed Nuno Borges on Sunday.
After beating fifth seed Cameron Norrie on Thursday, Nadal won tough three-set matches against fourth seed Mariano Navone and Duje Ajdukovic in his next two rounds and was struggling by the end.
"The level was so far from what it should be. Probably the energy too. It has been a long week with long matches," Nadal said.
"Even if my body, I don't have damage, that's important - but mentally and physically, I'm not used to playing four days in a row and playing long matches.
"I need to analyse well and find the reason why I played that way, even if the energy wasn't right. Things like this can happen, and that's the situation. I don't have to lie or hide anything."
Nadal decided to skip Wimbledon to focus on preparations for the Olympics which are being played at Roland Garros, the venue of 14 of his 22 Grand Slam triumphs.
At the Games, Nadal will be looking to add to his singles gold from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and doubles victory at Rio in 2016.
Apart from singles in Paris, he will team up with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in doubles.
"I played the final, that's positive. I was able to play long matches without having an injury, that's good," Nadal said of his week in Sweden.
The former world No1 has played just six tournaments in 2024 due to injury while his ranking has slumped to 261.
"In some way I felt that I arrived here practicing much better than what I played in the tournament during the whole week. That's something that I am not satisfied with," he explained.
"I arrived here with the feeling that I was playing a good level and I was not able to show that during the whole week. That is something that I am not happy with.
"Anyway it's a final, so I can't say it's a bad result because it's the first final since a long time ago. But I was not able to feel myself comfortable enough during the whole week to be satisfied with the week of tennis that I played."
It has still been a productive week for Nadal, who won four matches in a row for the first time since 2022 and had his physical condition tested ahead of representing Spain at the Games.
While Nadal will be hoping for a better fortunes in Paris, it won't be easy. Serbian great Novak Djokovic will be aiming for gold to fill that one gap on his otherwise-impeccable resume, which includes 24 Grand Slam trophies.
Also eyeing a first gold will be stars like Poland's Iga Swiatek, who has won the French Open four of the past five years, and American Coco Gauff, the reigning US Open champion and runner-up to Swiatek at Roland Garros in 2022.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
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Etihad Airways – 600555666
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
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Rating: 4/5
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Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
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Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
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Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
