Copy of Copy of 569446-01-02-1702568697461
Poland's Iga Swiatek in action against Russia's Veronika Kudermetova during their women's singles quarter-final match of Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September. Image Credit: AFP

Abu Dhabi: The countdown is on for the second season of the Meteora World Tennis League, with top international tennis stars and global music icons set to perform at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Gearing up for its second season of action, this year’s World Tennis League, to be held from December 21 to 24, line-up features a star-studded field of tennis players including women’s world No 1 and current French Open champion, Iga Swiatek and men’s world No 3 Daniil Medvedev with the 16 top stars set to represent their franchises in a bid to become champions of 2023.

While the matchups between the TSL Hawks, PBG Eagles, SG Maverick Kites and Honor FX Falcons will provide plenty of entertainment on court, spectators can also look forward to a memorable three nights of concerts by some of the biggest names in the music industry that will close out the day of tennis action.

Following the success of the inaugural event in 2022, the Meteora World Tennis League moves to Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena for its second season. The event combines the top international professional tennis players in an engaging team-driven format alongside electrifying concerts from award-winning global music stars, delivering a true sporting and music festival known as ‘The Greatest Show on Court’.

Copy of Copy of 595533-01-02-1702568699427
Russia's Daniil Medvedev plays a backhand shot against France's Ugo Humbert during the China Open. Image Credit: AFP

'Finals Day'

The opening night of the new season will see international chart-topper, 50 Cent close out the action on December 21. World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi serves as the last stop of the Grammy Award Winner’s ‘The Final Lap Tour 2023’ that has seen him wow thousands of fans across Europe, Asia and Australia in the last three months and fans can expect more of the same in his final performance of the year.

Fans can enjoy the best of R & B, with megastars Akon and Ne-Yo coming together for a special ‘R & B evening’ concert on December 22. With both international stars set to bring their fan favourite set list to Abu Dhabi, Ne-Yo will reunite with Akon again following their 2011 collaboration with David Guetta on the chart-topping single, Play Hard, in an unmissable evening of entertainment.

As the final day of action before the highly anticipated ‘Finals Day’, fans will be vibing to the sounds of ‘Reggae Night’ with UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, The Original Wailers featuring Al Anderson, and Trojan Sound System gracing the stage on December 23.

Tickets are available via the Etihad Arena website as well as Platinum List and Virgin Megastores. Fans can find more information on etihadarena.ae.

Rosters and schedule:

Honor FX Falcons: Elena Rybakina, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Leylah Fernandez. Coach: Chris Groh.

PBG Eagles: Daniil Medvedev, Mirra Andreeva, Andrey Rublev, Sofia Kenin. Coach: John Laffnie De Jager.

SG Maverick Kites: Aryna Sabalenka, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Paula Badosa, Grigor Dimitrov. Coach: Robert Lindstead.

Hawks: Iga Swiatek, Hubert Hurkacz, Caroline Garcia, Casper Ruud. Coach: Simon Aspelin.

Day 1: Thursday, December 21:

Hawks vs Honor FX Falcons (2pm)

PBG Eagles vs SG Maverick Kites (6pm)

Evening concert performed by 50 Cent

Day 2: Friday, December 22:

Honor FX Falcons vs SG Maverick Kites (2pm)

PBG Eagles vs Hawks (6pm)

Evening concerts performed by Akon and Ne-Yo

Day 3: Saturday, December 23:

PGB Eagles vs Honor FX Falcons (2pm)

SG Maverick Kites vs Hawks (6pm)

Evening concerts performed by UB40, The Original Wailers, and Trojan Sound System

Day 4: World Tennis League 2023 Finals