IPTL 2015: 5 things you probably didn't know about the UAE Royals players
Federer and Ivanovic join the UAE Royals this seasonAt first, the name OBI UAE Royals reminded me of Obi-Wan, the popular Star Wars character who, as the franchise enthusiasts will recall, was the mentor of Luke Skywalker. (For tickets to the UAE Royals matches, click here).It’s probably appropriate then that the team features Roger Federer, a player who many consider to be the GOAT (Greatest of All Time); in his own way, the Swiss ace is a mentor to the younger stars waiting for their chance to make it big on the sport’s professional stage.But there’s more to the OBI UAE Royals’ team than these obvious facts. Here’s taking a peek into the lesser-known aspects about the Royals’ team this year:
#5 Daniel Nestor
The tall and lanky Canadian has been an unassuming yet significant presence in international tennis. Not surprisingly, there are a bunch of records that he has under his figurative belt. However, there’s a lot more to Nestor beyond these staggering records, like his penchant of playing out lengthy matches against opponents.
Long before John Isner and Nicholas Mahut played their record-breaking second round match at the 2010 Wimbledon, Nestor and his then partner Mark Knowles were involved in what was then the longest match in Wimbledon history. Playing against Simon Aspelin and Todd Martin in the 2006 quarterfinal at the Championships, Nestor and Knowles came through in a momentous six hours and nine minutes.
It was at the time the longest match – in singles or doubles – to be played at Wimbledon, with the fifth set ending in the 44th game in favour of the Canadian and his Bahamian partner as they won 23-21. Now, of course, this is the second longest match ever at Wimbledon, behind the Isner-Mahut marathon.