Eight-time ATP Tour champion and former world number 6 Gael Monfils is the latest addition to the 2019 star-studded line-up at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships at Abu Dhabi’s International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City from 19th to 21st December. The tournament features four of the top six players.
Monfils will join the line-up which features world number 1 and 2019 Roland Garros and US Open champion and Davis Cup winner Rafael Nadal, reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, 2019 ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and this year’s Cincinnati and Shanghai Masters 1000 champion Danil Medvedev. Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova will face rising star Amanda Anisimova in the women’s match on day one.
Monfils will start his season at the Abu Dhabi exhibition only for the second time in his career. He is set to make his come-back in Abu Dhabi for the first time since 2012. The Frenchman, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros and at the US Open, was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the quarter finals in his first appearance at the popular Abu Dhabi exhibition tournament.
“Having played in Abu Dhabi before, I know the special atmosphere of this Championship and I am really excited to be coming back. I am looking forward to going up against a strong field and I believe that it will be the perfect way to begin an important season”, said Monfils.
Organisers previously announced four-time Mubadala World Tennis Championships Novak Djokovic, who enoyed a successful 2019 season, in which he won the Australian Open final against Rafael Nadal and beat Roger Federer in an epic Wimbledon final. Djokovic won the 2018 final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships beating Kevin Anderson 4-6 7-5 7-5.
“Abu Dhabi is a special place and one where I have tasted success consistently. The courts are great, the spectators know their sport. The atmosphere is thoroughly enjoyable. 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”,said Djokovic.
Stefanos Tsitsipas confirmed that he will take part in the 12th edition of the Abu Dhabi tournament. The Greek player reached the semifinal at the Australian Open, and won three titles in Marseille, Estoril and at the ATP Finals in London one year after clinching the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy in Milan. He became the youngest ATP Finals champion since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001. Tsitsipas beat top 10 players Danil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem en route to winning his maiden ATP Finals title at the London O2 Arena.
“I have amazing things about the Mubadala World Tennis Championships and Abu Dhabi. The weather and the facilities make for the perfect destination to start the 2020 season and the organisers are putting together a strong line-up”,said Tsitsipas.
