David Nalbandian wanted Rafael Nadal to play in the Davis Cup final for Spain - but he is not going to complain about anything that boosts Argentina's chances of lifting the trophy for the first time.
Tendinitis forced the world No 1 to pull out of this weekend's showdown in Mar del Plata, the first time Argentina will host the final.
"I wanted Nadal to be in this final," Nalbandian said. "He is a friend of mine and missing this decisive chance is not nice at all. Now, things have changed a little bit, but we are focused on doing our best no matter which rival we play against.
"These five matches we are playing this weekend are very important for all the effort and sacrifice we've made in the Davis Cup."
The captain Alberto Mancini thinks one of the keys to beating the Spaniards will be "not relaxing because Spain, even without Nadal, are a very strong team".
"The guys are very motivated. All the rubbers are possible to be won because we are playing very well," he added. The world No 9 Juan Martin del Potro, 20, is getting used to the indoor carpet of the Estadio Islas Malvinas following his arrival in Mar del Plata.
The final follows on from his first appearance at the Masters Cup in Shanghai.
"The trip has been long, but I feel fine," he said.
He is suffering some problems with his toenails, and told the Ole newspaper: "I am using creams and some painkillers but I will do my best in each match.
"If I have to be given an injection, I will do so. I want to go on holidays with the cup."
* PA Sport
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MATCH INFO
Liverpool v Manchester City, Sunday, 8.30pm UAE
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The Light of the Moon
Director: Jessica M Thompson
Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Michael Stahl-David
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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