More than 23,000 concerned pair of eyes in the Arthur Ashe Stadium zoomed in on Rafael Nadal's stomach on Sunday as he lay flat on his back with his canary yellow shirt pulled up to his chest.
With a white towel covering his face, there was no way to guess the pain or the torment Nadal was going through as it seemed his injury jinx had struck again during his US Open third-round match against childhood friend Nicolas Almagro.
While the Spaniard shielded himself from peering eyes, a tournament trainer went about his business by quickly spraying and taping Nadal's stomach during the three-minute medical time out the third seed is allowed to take.
Job done, Nadal got back on the feet but over the next few minutes it became clear that this latest setback was one the six-time grand slam champion could have done without.
After resuming the third set at 2-1 down, Nadal grimaced on several occasions as he poked the afflicted area between points but hung on to beat fellow Spaniard Almagro 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.
Match over, there was only one topic tennis followers wanted to discuss. Well, all tennis followers except Nadal.
"I know everybody want to talk about the injury. I really don't want to talk about that. That's the thing," said the world No 3, who was sidelined during June and July with tendinitis in both knees.
Not satisfied with the Spaniard's answer, he was prodded again for an explanation but politely replied: "I said I don't want to talk about injuries. Sorry. I am a little bit tired to talk about injuries.
"I am here to try my best every day. I won the match in three sets, so happy for that. I'm going to try my best next round. That's all."
Tonight, Nadal faces Gael Monfils, the 18th seed, in the fourth round. Nadal has won four of the five meetings between the two players.
* Reuters
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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
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Engine: Duel electric motors
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
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