In pictures: Camels and camaraderie as Clijsters and Kenin go for a stroll in Dubai

Former world number one, Kim Clijsters and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin took a stroll on the beach yesterday at Jumeirah Al Naseem ahead of the 20th Anniversary of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships hosting the WTA Tour.

. The two friends spent time catching up following Sofia’s amazing win at the Australian Open and Kim’s comeback announcement and even had a hit on the sand.

Kim Clijsters said: “Dubai is the first tournament that made sure that there was equal prize money for both men and women, so it’s obviously a tournament that has always been trying to create and step up and be a leader amongst a lot of the other tournaments on the tour.”

When asked by Sofia why she chose Dubai as a comeback, Clijsters said: “Dubai is the perfect place, I’ve been practicing indoors for six months or so, just to be able to come here and to be in the sun, it’s a great week for us to kick it off, I’m excited to be here.”

Kim has chosen the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships as her first stop after her last match at the 2012 US Open and excitement has already started building in and around the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium with fans and media watching her practice sessions.

Eyes will also be on Sofia, the 21-year-old reached the third round in Dubai a year ago where she was ranked an anonymous 37 in the world, but she now returns as the world number seven and is a strong contender for the trophy. Sofia Kenin said “This is my second year in Dubai and I feel like all the players love coming here, for the beaches of course, beautiful hotels, everything."