Rafael Nadal earned a straight-set win over Frenchman Gilles Simon to open his bid at bringing Spain his second men’s tennis singles gold medal. But an even greater honour than that is the one bestowed up on him by The National’s sports team – as the cover boy for our Friday, August 12 edition.
Nadal, a 14-time major winner who won the Olympics men’s singles gold medal in 2008, played Thursday in his first tournament in two months. The win helps ease any concerns over his wrist injury precluding him from winning a tournament that’s now wide open with the early elimination of top seed Novak Djokovic.
Also, Diego Forlan tells us why he thinks the Premier League, beginning this weekend, is the greatest football league in the world.
“So why is the Premier League so popular? The stadiums in England are always full and the stands are right by the pitch, with no athletic tracks like you see elsewhere. The games are more equal, the football is aggressive and referees let the game flow more than in other countries. There is always goals, you do not see teams holding out for a goalless draw because fans won’t accept it. The games last for 90 minutes, there’s no killing a side off and relaxing after 60 minutes.”
Stick with The National for more Olympics and Premier League coverage.
kjeffers@thenational.ae
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