Ahead of his first appearance at an event since his loss to Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round at Wimbledon, Rafael Nadal has sounded a warning to his rivals at the China Open in Beijing.
"My motivation is always high," said the Spaniard, who has been out for three months with persistent pain in his right wrist.
And that motivation seems to be particularly high when he is coming back after an injury break, as he showed on his return from career-threatening injuries in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2012.
Traditionally, however, Nadal has not done as well in the post-US Open period of the season. Only four of his 64 career titles have come during this period – the 2008 Olympics, Beijing (2005), Madrid (2005) and Tokyo (2010).
Nadal is aware of this fact and will be hoping to do better in the remaining five events on his 2014 schedule – Beijing, the Shanghai Masters, Swiss Indoors, the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals.
“This part of the season has always been a little bit difficult for me, and it will be for sure even more this year after stopping for three months at the middle of the season,” he said in Beijing, where he could meet Novak Djokovic in the final, and where he is playing doubles, as well, to get back into groove.
“But the last part of the season remains.”
That sounded a bit like a warning to the rest. The wrist is not 100 per cent yet, but Nadal is back and he is determined to make up for lost time.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
