Multiple grand slam champion Venus Williams says she is ‘excited’ to follow in the footsteps of sister Serena by playing at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dubai.
The 38-year-old will take to the courts at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Centre against a yet-to-be confirmed opponent. It will be the 11th edition of the exhibition event with Williams playing taking part in only the second women’s match to be played there. The American hasn’t played a tour match since the US Open in September.
“It’s great. The tournament bringing tennis in general to Abu Dhabi is fantastic, both men’s and women’s. It’s great to see women coming there too. It just represents everything that’s happening in tennis,” Williams said during an interview with Sport 360.
12 months ago, it was sister Serena that made history in the exhibition. Her match against Jelena Ostapenko was the first ever-women’s match to take place. It also marked Serena’s return the sport after giving birth to her first child. Former French Open champion Ostapenko won the match in three sets.
Serena’s appearance in the United Arab Emirates laid out the foundations to what was a fairly successful comeback. Where she reached back-to-back grand slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. Sister Venus is hoping that this time round the fortunes will favour her.
“Serena played here last year, it was an exciting time for her and her first competitive match of the season.” Williams told reporters earlier this week.
“She went on to have a great year, so I hope I can do the same and have a great year this year.
“I am feeling good about my tennis and I am feeling strong.”
The former world No.1 has previously enjoyed success in the UAE. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she won the title on three occasions (2009, 2010 and 2014). Being one of only two players to have done that. The other is Justine Henin, who is a four-time champion of the tournament.
“I have had a lot of success in the Middle East and it is nice to come back to somewhere that you have done well at,” she said. “It creates good vibes and gives you something to feed off so that is something I am looking forward to.”
The men’s draw
Whilst Williams waits to see who she will play, the men’s tournament has already been given their schedule. A total of four top 10 players will feature in the draw, including Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Both Djokovic and Nadal have a bye in the first round.
Kicking-off proceedings will be defending champion Kevin Anderson against South Korea’s Hyeon Chung. A player Anderson has defeated on two previous occasions. The winner of that match will take on Nadal.
In the other section, Dominic Thiem faces a testing clash against recent Paris Masters champion Karen Khachanov. The Austrian will be seeking revenge against Khachanov after suffering a straight sets loss to him earlier in the year. Djokovic then awaits in the semi-final.
The Mubadala World Tennis Championship will take place between December 27-29.
