11-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal is the latest addition to the field at the upcoming Mubadala World Tennis Championship in a move that may irk officials in Saudi Arabia.
Nadal, who has pulled out of this week’s ATP Finals due to injury, is set to play in the exhibition event, which takes place between December 27th – 29th. He has won the event four times before and was runner-up in the inaugural tournament that took place in 2009. It is hosted in the United Arab Emirates at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Centre.
“Abu Dhabi is one of my favourite places to play, the climate, atmosphere and enthusiasm from the crowds at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship provides the perfect start to the new season,” Nadal said in a statement.
“The tournament brings together players at the top of their game; we all relish playing in these extremely competitive matches.”
The timing of the announcement comes a week after Nadal’s exhibition clash with Novak Djokovic in Saudi Arabia got canceled. The match was set to take place on December 22nd in Jeddah, but Djokovic told BBC Sport is has been called off due to the health of his rival.
“Nadal is injured, so the match is not happening this year.” The world No.1 said.
The two players had recently come under scrutiny for their original decision to play in the Saudi city following an incident that the country was involved in. Jamal Khashoggi, who was a vocal critic of the Saudi government, disappeared after entering the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul, Turkey last month. The government originally denied they knew the whereabouts of Khashoggi, before later admitting that he was killed in the embassy. A group of individuals has since been arrested, but Crowne Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denied any involvement.
“It’s terrible that one journalist lost his life. I know something very bad happened inside there. So we are looking at how the situation evolves and I hope things will be clarified as soon as possible.” Nadal commented about the situation on October 28th at the Paris Masters.
The Saudi General Sports Authority has said the match, which has been named the King Salman Tennis Championship, has been postponed. However, the authority hasn’t given a timeframe as to how long it has been delayed for.
