Abu Dhabi: Fifteen-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal will be looking to defend his title at the 10th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2017 (MWTC).
Nadal, who will be vying for the fifth title here at the capital in nine appearances, will be joined by current world No. 8 Dominic Thiem, and world No. 10 Milos Raonic.
Nadal has recently climbed to No. 2 in the ATP world rankings following an impressive comeback season. After beating Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the Madrid Open, the Spaniard won his 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, tying with his semi-final opponent, for the all-time record.
This was shortly followed by ‘La Decima’ — his historic 10th French Open victory. With the US Open around the corner, Nadal is eyeing a return to the top of the world rankings, and looking to add a 16th Grand Slam to his already vast resume.
“I am extremely excited to play in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship again later this year. This tournament is very important to me as it is not only the 10th edition and my ninth appearance, but I will also be defending my title. I’m very proud to be part of this great event and I know it will be a really enjoyable and challenging tournament as always,” said Nadal while speaking about the tournament.
Earlier this year at the Madrid Open, Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem in the final to claim his 72nd career title. At 23 years old, Thiem is one of the most exciting talents in world tennis and already has eight ATP titles to his name.
The 10th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship will be Thiem’s first, where he is set to delight the crowd with his hugely entertaining style of play in what is sure to be an unmissable tournament.
Milos Raonic returns to the Capital again for the third year in a row, after taking on Nadal and Andy Murray at last year’s edition. The Canadian followed his appearance last December by beating Nadal at the Brisbane International in January, and has since reached the quarter-finals at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
This year’s MWTC, an event that has built its legacy as a must-attend experience as it throws spectators right into the equivalent of a Grand Slam quarter-final, will run from December 28 to 30 at the International Tennis Center at Zayed Sports City.
A sell-out crowd of over 5,000 per day are expected to attend and experience the thrilling on-court line-up. While off-court, the Tennis Village will be offering an action packed schedule, with plenty of fun for the whole family to experience.
The Championship has been a key event in UAE sports calendar since its launch with crowds getting a unique opportunity to see explosive performances from six of the world’s top players as they battle it out across three days.
Historically, all events have featured at least one of the ‘big four’; Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and this year will be no different.
As always, in the unique ‘winner takes all’ format of the MWTC, the victor will claim $250,000 in prize money. The tournament, which has firmly established itself as the beginning of the global tennis season, was first staged in 2009 and has continuously attracted the best players in the world, partly as it closely replicates the Australian Open in January, the first Grand Slam of the season.
To celebrate the landmark 10th edition, organisers FLASH Entertainment, the region’s premier live events company, in partnership with Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi based investment and development company, are releasing tickets starting from just an incredible Dh50. Those who purchase a ticket in the first 10 days will be entered into daily draws to win unbelievable prizes including signed merchandise from this year’s and past MWTC players, star player clinic spots and the chance to meet their favourite player and carry his bag out alongside them on court.
Tickets to the Championship go on sale to the general public at 12pm today at www.ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Megastores across the UAE. For more information, visit: www.mubadalawtc.com.
