World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz To Make His Middle East Debut At Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Tennis Championship
Spain’s world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is set to make his Middle East debut at the 14th Mubadala World Tennis Championship ( MWTC) in Abu Dhabi according to Zawya. This is a men’s and women’s singles exhibition tournament that has been held annually since 2009 at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi. Alcaraz has won six ATP Tour singles titles overall, including the 2022 US Open last month making him the youngest player ever to reach the top of the ATP world rankings. The 19-year-old will be in action at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi from Dec. 16 to Dec. 18. Alcaraz expressed excitement regarding his anticipated participation:
I can’t wait to participate in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi as I’ve seen a lot of players take part in the tournament, and everyone really looks forward to it.
Carlos Alcaraz via Arab News
The tournament will also feature women’s World No.2 Ons Jabeur and British No.1 Emma Raducanu who will also face off on Day 1 of the championship. But that’s not all as Alcaraz will lead a line-up of six of the world’s best men’s players. Additionally, championship owner Flash Entertainment confirmed two more of the six-player men’s line-up will be revealed in the coming days and reiterated its commitment to bringing the sport’s biggest and best players to the region.
As the Spaniard prepares to compete at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship for the first time, he will follow in the footsteps of superstars such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and his role model & a five-time winner of MWTC, Rafael Nadal.
Other superstars at Mubadala World Tennis Championship
Djokovic has developed a strong connection with Abu Dhabi over the years as he claimed the Mubadala crown four times telling Sports360 back in 2019 that, “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.”
Rafael Nadal’s unforgettable moment would definitely be his victory over legend Roger Federer back in 2011 in a thrilling match with games scores of 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3). Neither of the two was able to break one another’s serves, but Nadal was able to clinch the tie-break points and win the title.
The moment when Andy Murray broke Rafael Nadal’s reign and moved closer to winning a third Mubadala World Tennis Championship became a highlight of the competition. He defeated Nadal 6-3, 7-5 in the semi-finals to go to the championship match against world No. 5 Andrey Rublev.
For more information about tickets and packages, you can check Mubadala World Tennis Championship’s official website.