Abu Dhabi: The Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) next month announced another casting coup as Novak Djokovic, the world No.2 and defending champion, has confirmed to return to the event this year. The 2019 edition runs from December 19-21 at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi.
The 32-year-old Djokovic, a four-time winner here, joins a dream line-up of world No.1 Rafael Nadal and No.4 Daniil Medvedev. Three of the top 10 men’s players will hence be in action along with a glamourous women’s exhibition match which pits five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova against young sensation Amanda Anisimova.
The popular Serb will look to finish off an excellent year, having clinched the season-opening Australian Open by defeating Nadal in the final and then downing Roger Federer in an epic final at Wimbledon. Most recently, Djokovic won the Japan Open, beating the USA’s John Millman in straight sets. In the 2018 final in Abu Dhabi, he defeated South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in a thrilling final, eventually winning 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
“Novak’s confirmation is proof of the fact that the Mubadala World Tennis Championship has developed into a premier tournament, attracting the cream of tennis talent from across the world. Novak is no stranger to Abu Dhabi, having won the title four times and I am confident that he will come into the tournament firing on all cylinders,” said John Lickrish, CEO Flash Entertainment.
Djokovic said that he hoped to hit the ground running as he prepares for what will be a gruelling year of tennis with the MWTC being the perfect start to his season. “Abu Dhabi is a special place and one where I have tasted success consistently. The courts are great, the spectators know their sport, and the atmosphere is thoroughly enjoyable,” said Djokovic.
“The line-up for the tournament is really strong. You always want to play challenging opponents early in the season in order to get a good measure of yourself and I am hoping I can put in place a few things that I have been working on in the off-season,” he said.
Tickets starting from AED 100 for Adults are available exclusively at www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or +971 4 366 2289 from outside the country, and at all Virgin Megastores across the UAE. 3-Day Packages are also available with savings of 20%.
For more information on Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2019, visit www.mubadalawtc.com
