“Gracias Rafa” – words plastered on signs all over the city of Malaga in the south of Spain, where Rafael Nadal is set to play the final event of his professional career, alongside his compatriots at the Davis Cup Finals.
The Malaga City Council and its tourism arm, Costa del Sol Malaga, have launched a campaign this week to honour the Spanish icon, with “Gracias Rafa” posters and electronic LED screens set up all over town, in main squares and metro stations.
The campaign also includes a massive 2.6sqm banner on the exterior of the Ciudad de Malaga Athletics Stadium, emblazoned with those words of gratitude for the country’s national hero.
A few metres across from that stadium lies the Martin Carpena Arena, the host of the ongoing Billie Jean King Cup Finals, and the Davis Cup Final 8, which kicks off with the highly-anticipated quarter-final tie between Spain and the Netherlands on Tuesday.
“Everybody is excited to play Spain. It's amazing that it might be the last match that Nadal plays, and we hope to give him a nice adios,” said Netherlands team captain Paul Haarhuis on Sunday, with a deadpan expression on his face that sent his players into laughter.
The Dutch players are well aware that this is no ordinary Davis Cup tie and the huge banner across the street is enough of a reminder of the kind of support Nadal will get once he steps on court on Tuesday.
“Rafa retiring here of course brings something special to the occasion. It's been already a couple of weeks I think it's living in the tennis world,” said Botic van de Zandschulp, who would be Nadal’s opponent should Spain decide to use him in singles.
“Also with [Carlos] Alcaraz here, you have some big names in the other team. So really looking forward to the tie, and let's see how the madness is going to be.”
While it’s safe to assume Alcaraz will play singles against the Dutch team’s No 1 player Tallon Griekspoor, it remains unclear whether Nadal will be given precedence over Roberto Bautista Agut and Pedro Martinez in the other singles clash.
Nadal hasn’t played a professional singles match since the Paris Olympics in July (he took part in the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Riyadh last month) but looked sharp during a hit with Australia’s Alex de Minaur in Malaga on Sunday.
It’s rare to see inter-team training sessions at the Davis Cup, and it was quite the surprise when journalists arrived at the practice facility to catch Alcaraz hit with Bautista Agut, only to find Nadal sparring with De Minaur on the adjacent court.
It was a special moment that united five different former world No 1s, with Australia captain Lleyton Hewitt, Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Nadal’s coach Carlos Moya, standing on the sidelines as Nadal and Alcaraz were put through their paces.
Nadal’s imminent retirement has understandably overshadowed everything else happening in Malaga and Tuesday’s match against the Netherlands was sold out the moment the Spaniard announced he would be participating in the event.
Nadal’s biggest rival, Novak Djokovic, has said he will be making the trip down to Malaga to bid him farewell and it’s likely many more stars will turn up for the occasion.
A selfie with Nadal has been a highly sought-after bucket list item so far this week. Italian world No 4 Jasmine Paolini has been regularly posting on her social media a progress update on her mission to take a photo with the 22-time Grand Slam champion. She has so far got as close as the sidelines of one of his practice sessions on centre court at the arena.
The Australian Billie Jean King Cup team staged a group photo in Nadal’s path just so they could ask him to join them in the photo. The Mallorcan, of course, obliged.
In an interview with Nadal posted by the Spanish Tennis Federation, he said he prepared as best he can for the Davis Cup and is approaching this week with the hopes to “close this beautiful and long chapter of his life with final moments of excitement, but with a degree of normalcy as well”.
It’s fair to say that nothing will be normal about this week’s farewell as Spain, and tennis, bid adieu to an extraordinary figure.
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- 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
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
SERIES INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series
Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Table
The top three sides advance to the 2022 World Cup Qualifier.
The bottom four sides are relegated to the 2022 World Cup playoff
1 United States 8 6 2 0 0 12 0.412
2 Scotland 8 4 3 0 1 9 0.139
3 Namibia 7 4 3 0 0 8 0.008
4 Oman 6 4 2 0 0 8 -0.139
5 UAE 7 3 3 0 1 7 -0.004
6 Nepal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 PNG 8 0 8 0 0 0 -0.458
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Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
