Abu Dhabi: Andy Murray will line up against Frenchman Gaël Monfils on the New Year’s Day for the first match of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, to be held in the capital from January 1-3. The official tournament draw was unveiled on Monday.
Should the Briton make it through to the second day, Rafael Nadal awaits. As the second seed, Nadal receives a bye along with top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic who will start his 2015 campaign against the winner of first day’s second fixture between reigning Australian Open champion, Stan Wawrinka, and crowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
If Nadal and Djokovic both make it through their respective matches, sports fans in Abu Dhabi could be treated to a battle of epic proportions as the two titans potentially face each other in the final on third day. One of the greatest rivalries in tennis history, Djokovic and Nadal have faced off against each other a colossal 42 times, the most head-to-head meetings of any pair in the Open Era.
With their matchups usually reserved for Grand Slams and finals, the last time they met was at the French Open final where the King of Clay Nadal, came away victorious and leading their overall head-to-head 23 matches to Djokovic’s 19. Come January 3, the stakes will be high. Should the duo come to blows, pride, as well as the first trophy of 2015, will surely be at stake.
All the action of the tournament kicks off on centre court at the International Tennis Centre at 5pm on January 1. Wawrinka, who went on from last year’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship to win the Australian Open, takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to round off Day One’s action.
As the winners progress, the other players will still have another match to play when they return to centre court for a fifth/sixth place play-off on second day from 2.30pm. The tournament semi-finals will follow with the winners from the previous day’s play going through to meet Djokovic and Nadal respectively. On January 2, all six players in the world-class line-up will be in action on centre court — a rare opportunity for any sports fan and one not to be missed. For fans in the UAE, this may be the only chance to see the two-time Grand Slam winner and Olympic champion Murray, who has not yet confirmed another appearance in the UAE for the 2015 season. Looking ahead, he commented: “I had a great run towards the end of this season with three titles. I’m pleased with how I’m playing at the moment and I’m feeling good after a tough start to 2014, coming off back surgery. I just want to keep that momentum going now into next year and playing in Abu Dhabi is an important part of that. I want to start my year strongly and I hope a successful tournament will bode well for 2015.”
