On Sunday morning, tennis aces Caroline Wozniacki and Zhang Shuai took Gulf News tabloid! with them for a mini shopping spree at the Dubai Duty Free at Dubai Airport T3.
Zhang is the newly appointed and first Chinese brand ambassador for the DDF while Wozniacki has been with them for five years. But while Wozniacki loves to shop in airport duty free stores around the world looking for bargains, the shy Zhang says she simply picks up what she likes.
We trailed them through several stores, searching for gifts to take back for their family and friends.
“Abigail [a Chinese member of the DDF staff] helped me a lot today, because last few times I was here I didn’t buy anything. I didn’t know what is actually made locally and I didn’t want to buy something that I can get anywhere,” said Zhang, picking up camel milk chocolates and searching for UAE souvenirs.
“It’s the first time that I got to show a Chinese player around,” said Min Yan Abigail, who was happy to have Zhang as a DDF brand ambassador. “She’s very kind and soft-spoken. I showed her camel chocolate — which she liked very much — skincare products and handbags also.”
As Zhang was picking up her shopping, Sinead Al Sibai, Vice-President Marketing, Dubai Duty Free, told us that Zhang was chosen to represent DDF because of the increasing number of Chinese visitors to the Dubai and shoppers that pass through the airport.
“The number last year was 450,000 Chinese visitors. This year it’ll be 650,000. Chinese [people] love to shop for fashion, for watches [and] skincare products,” said Al Sibai. “Also, Zhang is [the] number one [tennis player] in China. Tennis is becoming very important in China, particularly on the ladies side.”
Wozniacki walked in soon after, saying that she’d just landed from Doha where she had been playing the Qatar Open Final against Karolina Pliskova the previous evening, and that the Dubai Duty Free is one of her favourites places to shop. Wozniacki continued her good performance with a win against Daria Kasatkina on Monday at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
“One of the first things that I love to do [when in Dubai] is shop at the Dubai Duty Free. It’s some of the best shopping in the world and it’s the perfect place to find gifts for my friends and family,” said Wozniacki. “The stores always [have] good deals and they have everything I’m looking for. I do a lot of shopping in duty free shops, yes [because] I like bargains — it’s my speciality finding good deals. Today I got a watch [for my dad], a back pack [for my mother] and some make up for Serena [Williams] because she’s a good friend and I’m just having a little fun.”
