Nadal to Contest Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships Title
- Fame and fortune have not changed the boy wonder who will be chasing another title in Dubai next month -
Dubai, UAE, February 4th, 2008: Put Rafael Nadal on clay and he is virtually unbeatable. He can beat all-comers on hard courts too, as his victory over Roger Federer in the 2006 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships proved. Even on grass he is almost impregnable, with two finals in his last two appearances at Wimbledon.
And yet the Spanish wonderkid is as down-to-earth as it gets. His fame, fortune and three successive titles at Roland Garros - where he has never lost a match - have left him the same shy, polite and unassuming person he has always been. The jigging, all-action, ultra-aggressive competitor on court is far removed from the quiet, humble young man he is when away from the crowds.
Much of this is due to his uncle and coach, Toni, who has guided Rafael since he was just four years old. The former footballer earned a coaching badge in soccer, but it is in tennis that he has excelled. It is Toni that persuaded his right-handed nephew to switch from his two-handed forehand and backhand to a one-handed forehand when he was nine or 10. As the world now knows, Rafael went on to feeling more comfortable playing left-handed, although he still uses his right hand to sign autographs.
“He was always a very good pupil, because he was disciplined. I did not have to demand that,” said Toni. “We have a relationship that is different to other players because I can talk about behaviour in a way that someone else could not tell him. Before he played, I saw on television so many players who went out with a bad face. I detested that. Rafael wants to win, but he wins with good manners. He has never thrown his racket. For me it is unbelievable how some people treat what they are given.”
With less than a month to go before the start of the $3 million 2008 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, almost every top player in the world is booking their flight to the Emirates for what is one of the highlights of their year.
After the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournament which begins on February 25th, the ATP event gets underway from March 3rd with a collection of players that is second to none. Nadal will face a field equal to the recent Grand Slam in Australia, with world number one and defending champion Roger Federer, super-Serb and world number three Novak Djokovic, and Russian world number four Nikolay Davydenko, as well as recent Davis Cup winner Andy Roddick and exciting young Scot Andy Murray among the challengers.
“Rafael Nadal sets the stadium alight whenever he steps on the court, and his final against Roger Federer in 2006 was one of the best matches in the history of the tournament,” said Colm McLoughlin, managing director of tournament owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free. “He will start again as one of the favourites, but with such strong opposition it will be a test of his character and skill to recapture the title he won here two years ago.”
Play at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, which is held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, begins on February 25th 2008 with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournament, and is followed by the ATP event from March 3rd to 8th.
