Abu Dhabi: With only days to go until the second Capitala World Tennis Championship returns to the Capital, the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex came to life when Robin Soderling, world No 8, decided to get a taste of the repaved courts on Monday.
The event will be held from December 31-January 2 at the Complex in Zayed Sports City.
Six of the world's top players — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko, Soderling, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Stanislas Wawrinka are part of the field, and Soderling says he can't wait for a possible rematch of the French Open final against world No 1 Federer here.
"As any player will tell you, coming up against Roger in a Grand Slam final is always difficult but I'm now very much looking forward to the possibility of playing against him in Abu Dhabi and hopefully going one step better."
The top ranked Swede reached his first ever Grand Slam, defeating Nadal to end the Spaniard's record 31 match winning streak at the tournament and move through to the final by overcoming Nikolay Davydenko (6-1 6-3 6-1) and Fernando Gonzalez (6-3 7-5 5-7 4-6 6-4). He then lost the final to Federer in straight sets.
Soderling might just have that chance if he advances through to second day of the match and overcomes Federer's fellow countryman Stanislas Wawrinka on the opening day of the event.
The big hitting Swede will no doubt draw on the success and experience gained in a record year which saw him compile a personal best 47-19 match record during the season. He also reached the quarterfinals (or better) in 11 of his 22 tour-level tournaments.
Home made
Following his stunning French Open form, Soderling then went on to earn his first clay-court ATP World Tour title on home soil at the Catella Swedish Open.
"It was certainly a great year for me," Soderling said. "I'm now hoping I can carry on that form and get the 2010 season off to the best possible start with wins over the top players competing in Abu Dhabi."
The Abu Dhabi court is paved with Plexipave, the same surface used at the Australian Open, which will provide the players with the perfect build-up for the season's first Grand Slam in Melbourne, in January.
As well as all the action on court, the Tennis Village is gearing up to provide a host of entertainment for the entire family, including a Speed Serve Challenge, Batak machine, player autograph signing, tennis clinics and some great give-aways.
The Village is open from 10am daily and admission is free for non-ticket holders.
