'Day to remember' after Rafael Nadal's record-setting win at Davis Cup

Rafael Nadal described his return to action as "a day to remember" after the 16-time grand slam winner pulled Spain level in their Davis Cup quarter-final against Germany.

Nadal, playing his first match since limping out of the Australian Open in January with a hip injury, beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 in just over two and half hours in Valencia, stretching his winning streak in the Davis Cup to a record 23 matches in singles and doubles.

The victory for the world No 1 in the Plaza de Toros bullring levelled the tie after world No 4 Alexander Zverev beat 33rd-ranked David Ferrer 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

"Of course, it's a positive thing to win in straight sets," said Nadal, 31, who has not lost a singles match in the Davis Cup since his 2004 debut and in doubles since 2005. "I played a solid match. I feel good when I return to the clay courts."

Nadal, building up to an assault on what he hopes will be an 11th French Open title, said it had been a special day playing on home ground again.

"It's a memorable day, in front of my own crowd. It's always special to play in these arenas," added Nadal, who has played in four of Spain's five Davis Cup-winning teams. "It's great to be back even if after an injury it's always difficult."

On Saturday, Marc Lopez and Feliciano Lopez will face Tim Puetz and Jan-Lennard Struff in the doubles, paving the way for a potential tie-deciding clash between Nadal and 20-year-old Zverev on Sunday.

Spain have history on their side - they have won 26 straight home ties, with their last defeat on Spanish soil against Brazil in 1999.

The winner of the Valencia quarter-final will face either defending champions France or Italy for a place in the final.

Lucas Pouille, the world No 11, gave France the first point in Genoa with a 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1 win over 62nd-ranked Andreas Seppi.

Italian No 1 Fabio Fognini then won a bad-tempered 3hr 30min rubber against world No 80 Jeremy Chardy 6-7, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 to make the tie 1-1.

Fognini, who spent over 11 hours on court in the victory over Japan in the first round, was furious after Chardy had brushed his shoulder against him during a changeover early in the third set.

"I didn't even know if I really touched him on the shoulder. He made this a huge thing, like in football sometimes where the guy you don't touch still collapses," Chardy said.

Chardy, a surprise selection ahead of Adrian Mannarino, the world 25, suffered his first Davis Cup defeat in six matches.

On Saturday, France's Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert will face Fognini and Simone Bolelli in the doubles.

"I am ready to play three days, for sure," said Fognini, who has played for Italy every year since 2008. "The Davis Cup is special. I am playing not just for me but also for Italy."

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John Isner becomes first American since Andy Roddick to win Miami Open

Former tennis world No 1 Andy Murray returns to training after hip surgery

Comment: Juan Martin del Potro needs to be regarded as an elite star again

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John Isner of the United States celebrates his victory over Joris de Loore of Belgium after the first match at the Davis Cup. Patrick Musacchio / EPA

Croatia, the 2005 champions, got off to a winning start against Kazakhstan in Varazdin when world No 3 Marin Cilic outclassed Dmitry Popko, the world No 258, in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2.

The victory was Cilic's 35th in Davis Cup, just one short of Ivan Ljubicic's Croatian record of 36.

But Mikhail Kukushkin, the top-ranked Kazakh player at 92, then levelled the tie by seeing off world 28 Borna Coric, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.

In Nashville, John Isner and Sam Querrey lifted the Americans a 2-0 lead over last year's runners-up Belgium as the US tries to reach the semis for the first time in six years.

Isner needed three hours and 14 minutes to dispose of world number 319 Joris de Loore 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, while world No 14 Querrey beat 110th ranked Ruben Bemelmans 6-1, 7-6, 7-5 in a two-hour long second rubber.

Belgium, who are playing without world No 10 David Goffin, do not have a player ranked in the top 100 in their line-up.

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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

Key findings

Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.

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