Rafael Nadal is as adamant as ever he will celebrate the new year with his post-surgery return to competitive tennis at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, organisers of the elite, six-man tournament announced on Tuesday.
“It’s unfortunate that I had to miss the end of this season, but the time off will allow me to become even more focused on what I want to accomplish in 2015,” Nadal said after a recent training session, according to tournament officials.
“I have missed a couple of opportunities to play big, competitive matches now so playing in Abu Dhabi in January for me is really important.”
In addition to Nadal, the world No 3, the Abu Dhabi tournament includes world No 1 Novak Djokovic, Australian Open champion and world No 4 Stan Wawrinka, No 6 Andy Murray and the French duo of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils.
Nadal, 28, had surgery to remove his appendix in the first week of November, less than two weeks after he called a halt to his 2014 season.
He also was troubled by back pain for much of the season, and a wrist injury sidelined him for more than a month after Wimbledon.
He played in only three tournaments after the All-England tournament and failed to get past the quarter-finals in any of them, finally giving in to the inflamed appendix after a 6-2, 7-6 final-eight defeat to 17-year-old Borna Coric at the Swiss Indoors Basel on October 24.
Despite his 2014 physical troubles, Nadal won the French Open in May, becoming the first player to win at least one grand slam for 10 consecutive years.
His appearance in Abu Dhabi will be his sixth. He won the tournament in 2009 and 2011.
“I’ve got history here, which makes the event even more special to me,” he said. “The crowd is always full of energy, which makes us want to play even better, and with this type of competition format we have to be on our game the entire three days.”
It is expected Nadal will be seeded into the semi-finals, on the opposite side of the bracket from Djokovic, but tournament organisers have not yet revealed match-ups.
The tournament is played at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City and begins on January 1, with two quarter-final matches, and continues with semi-finals on January 2. The final is on January 3.
Tickets for the event are on sale at wwwticketmaster.ae and at Virgin Megastore outlets in the UAE or by calling 800 86 823.
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Read more about the coronavirus
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
The burning issue
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.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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Japan
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Canada
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