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

Daniel Nestor has played his share of epic matches

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.

#4 The eastern Europe connection

Roger Federer is the only member of the UAE Royals from a different part of Europe

Six of the seven players of the OBI UAE Royals have an Eastern European association. Tomas Berdych is from Czech Republic, Goran Ivanisevic and Marin Cilic are from Croatia and Ana Ivanovic is from Serbia.

While Kristina Mladenovic is French by nationality, she has Serbian and Bosnian roots. And Daniel Nestor, who is now officially Canadian, is Serbian by birth and ancestry, with his full name reading Danijel Nestorovic.

The only player who doesn't fall into this categorization is, of course, Roger Federer, who hails from Switzerland in Western Europe. Interestingly, each of these eastern European countries also has a vivid history of partition.

Czech Republic was one of the countries formed after the break-up of the former Czechoslovakia, while Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were created from the erstwhile Yugoslavia.

#3 Goran Ivanisevic

Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 as a wild card entry

There was never any dearth of drama with Goran Ivanisevic in action on the court. The culmination of his ever-invigorating career came at the 2001 Wimbledon edition as he defeated Patrick Rafter in an epic final. It was a final that was filled with highs and lows that amused and bemused the world in equal parts.

It’s well-known that the Croat won the title as a wild-card after three previous final defeats; till date, he remains the only wild-card entrant to have won the title. But not many know that Ivanisevic had several superstitious rituals that he would diligently follow at every Wimbledon tournament.

He watched the kids' show 'Teletubbies' every morning during the Championships. Moreover, he would go to the same restaurant every night for dinner, and his order would unfailingly remain the same – fish soup, lamb with potatoes and ice cream with chocolate sauce.

He also followed a few venue-based rituals to the T all the time – he had a fixed time at which he would pack his tennis bag, he would always choose the same parking spot at the venue, and he would shower in the same space everyday.

#2 Ana Ivanovic

Ana Ivanovic has also graced quite a few magazine covers

– Ana Ivanovic won the French Open in 2008. In doing so she also triggered – to her detriment – what’s called as the ‘French Open Curse’, a term coined by former player-turned-commentator Patrick McEnroe.

The 'curse' apparently dictates that players who win their first Major at the French Open suffer a career slump subsequently – compounded by their inability to do well in the event there after again.

Some of the more popular names associated with this infamous urban legend include 1998 men’s singles champion Carlos Moya, 2004 men’s singles champion Gaston Gaudio, 2004 women’s singles champion Anastasia Myskina and 2003 men’s singles champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. Rafael Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten however are two of the exceptions to this strange phenomenon.

– Ivanovic sometimes prepares for matches by solving Sudoku puzzles in the locker room.

– She has a superstition not to walk on the lines of the court!

#1 Roger Federer

You’ll never guess Federer’s greatest fear!

There’s not a lot hidden or obscured from the public eye when it comes to the Swiss No. 1.

Having said that, there ARE some scoops about him that not many know about.

– Federer was a vegetarian until the age of 14, and his favourite animal is the lion!

– His favourite number is 8, although no one really knows why.

– What is Federer scared of? Rollercoasters!

– Federer once went a staggering 105 points without hitting an unforced error - at the 2007 US Open.

– His favourite drink is sparkling water. A man with simple tastes!

– Federer was gifted a cow by the tournament organizers after he won the Gstaad tournament in 2003, and he named it Juliette. Wait, there's more - in 2005, Juliette gave birth to a calf, and Federer named it Edelweiss!

– As per a global study in 2011, with more than 50,000 people from 25 countries being polled, Federer was voted as the second most respected, admired and trusted individual in the world, after Nelson Mandela.

– The first player that Federer ever defeated on the ATP tour was Guillaume Raoux – a French player whose best Slam result was reaching the 4th round of the 1998 Australian Open.