Sport | Tennis
Tennis stars could 'winter' in UAE
With a host of international sports spending their 'winter' in the UAE, tennis could be next on the list.
- By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
- Published: 14:53 January 4, 2009
Abu Dhabi: It all started with the success that the Godolphin horses had after their ‘winter' in the Dubai sunshine. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai shifted most of his top horses to the Godolphin base in Dubai and after their ‘Winter in Dubai' the desert sun seemed to have worked wonders resulting in a series of good results.
Then it was the turn of the golfers. The Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Masters were held in close proximity but when the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship joined the tour, the ‘Desert Swing' resulted. With Abu Dhabi being among the first events in the PGA Tour, many golfers, mostly from Europe, came early and set up base in the UAE. With world class golfing facilities, it was the natural move as the golfers soaked in the sunshine as they prepared for the new season.
The UAE, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai offering so many options, was the perfect place to be, being the ideal destination to relax and take the much-needed rest after a hectic season and at the same time begin preparations for the new season. With the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship being followed by the Qatar Masters and then the Dubai Desert Classic, it made sense to come early and begin preparations both for the ‘Desert Swing' as well as the year ahead.
Last year most of the English counties were in the UAE where they played in a pre-season one-day cricket event. This year more counties have confirmed and many will be here in Abu Dhabi, using the facilities at the Zayed International Cricket Stadium. The Stadium was also the venue when the England Test team had a week-long training camp before going to India for the two-match Test series last month.
Over the next few months quite a few junior teams from the counties will be using the cricket facilities in the UAE.
Football clubs from all over Europe have always been here during the winter break with AC Milan currently enjoying the Dubai weather.
And now Abu Dhabi has stepped in to emerge on the tennis world with the Capitala World Tennis Championship. With players like Andy Murray taking their year-end break and beginning their preparations for the new year in the warm climates of Miami, the Abu Dhabi event could show the way to the tennis stars. With the organizers of the Capitala World Tennis Championship promising to make this event an annual affair and the crowd response being overwhelming, this event could soon evolve into an ATP event. And even if that takes time, the tennis stars would only be too aware of the ideal climate that prevails here in the UAE from November onwards.
With the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open scheduled for the third week of January, sandwiched between the Doha and Dubai events, and with the emergence of the Abu Dhabi event, it may not be long before many on the circuit join Roger Federer in acquiring property in the UAE and frequenting it more often for professional reasons – honing their tennis skills.
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