Novak Djokovic is set to play his first tournament for almost six months in December at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
The former world No.1 hasn’t played on the tour since Wimbledon due to an elbow injury. Djokovic is a three-time champion of the exhibition event, which has a prize pool of $250,000. During his time away from the sport, he welcomed the birth of his second child Tara.
“I am extremely excited to return to Abu Dhabi for the fifth time and take part in the 10th Edition of the Championship.” Said Djokovic, who won the title in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
“It is a huge honour to take part in such a special tournament. The line-up is very strong as always and it will be the perfect way to make my comeback and begin the season. Abu Dhabi is an amazing place and this is going to be a great event for all of the fans.”
Due to his injury problems, Djokovic has only managed to play 40 matches on the tour this season, winning 32 of them. This year he has won titles in Doha and Eastbourne, bringing his career total to 68 ATP trophies. The seventh highest in the Open Era.
Stan Wawrinka is another player who hasn’t played on the tour since Wimbledon. The three-time grand slam champion underwent knee surgery in August after announcing an early end to his season. Due to his knee, Wawrinka was unable to defend his title at the US Open. Missing the main draw of a grand slam for the first time since the 2005 Australian Open.
“It is always a pleasure to kick the season off at the beautiful event in Abu Dhabi.” Said Wawrinka. “The fans are amazing there and the draw is as strong as always with a lot of great players. My recovery is going well and I can’t wait to be back on court. I’m working hard together with my team and looking forward to being back.”
A total of six players will play in Abu Dhabi this year. Joining Djokovic and Wawrinka will be world No.1 Rafael Nadal, Pablo Carreno Busta, Dominic Thiem and Milos Raonic. Raonic will also be making his return from injury. Ending his season early due to a numerous problems.
Hosted at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex since 2009, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship has only been won by three players in the past. Andy Murray twice, Djokovic on three occasions and Nadal four times.
The tournament will take place between December 28-30.
