Organizers of the 10th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships have revealed the draw of the end-of-year tennis exhibition tournament, which will take place in Abu Dhabi from 28th to 30th December.
The inaugural day will be highlighted by the come-back of three-time Grand Slam champion and this year’s Roland Garros finalist Stan Wawrinka. The Lausanne player will take on this year’s US Open and Indian Wells semifinalist Pablo Carreno Busta on 28th December. Wawrinka will make his fifth appearance at this event.
Wawrinka and Carreno Busta have met just three times in their careers. The Swiss star beat his Spanish rival at Indian Wells in their most recent head-to-head match.
In the second match of the first day Dominic Thiem will make his first appearance at the Mubadala tennis tournament, when he will face Milos Raonic, who will play at this event for the third consecutive year. Like Wawrinka, Raonic will make his come-back after being sidelined by injury problems in the second half of the season.
It will be the third head-to-head match between Thiem and Raonic. The Austrian player will be looking to take his first win against his Canadian rival.
World Number 1 Rafael Nadal and twelve-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic receive byes and will play on the second day. Nadal will face the winner of the match between Wawrinka and Carreno Busta. Djokovic will play against either Thiem or Raonic in the second semifinal. Nadal will defend his Mubadala title won last year in his ninth appearance at the Zayed Sports Centre in Abu Dhabi. The 16-time Grand Slam champion won his fifth title at this tournament beating David Goffin last year.
“I am extremely excited to play in the Mubadala World Tennis Championships again later this year. This tournament is very important to me as it is not only the 10th edition an dmy ninth appearance, but I will also be defending my title. I am very proud to be part of this great event and I know it will be a really enjoyable and challenging tournament as always”, said Nadal.
Following the draw Flash Entertainment CEO John Lickrish commented about this year’s tournament:
“This is one of the most highly anticipated Mubadala World Tennis Championships to date. With every player looking to start the season on the right foot in Abu Dhabi, we are expecting some explosive matches throughout the three days. The competition this year is going to be extremely competitive and should really set the tone for the rest of the season. We have an incredible combination of experienced Mubadala World Tennis Champions and players, as well as debutants, so it will be exceptionally exciting to see the on-court action unfold”.
Schedule of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships:
28th December 2017:
Stan Wawrinka vs Pablo Carreno Busta (5.00 pm local time)
Milos Raonic vs Dominic Thiem (7.00 pm local time)
29th December 2017:
Rafael Nadal vs Wawrinka/Carreno Busta (5.00 pm local time)
Novak Djokovic vs Raonic/Thiem (7.00 pm local time)
30th December 2017:
Final for 3rd place (5.00 pm local time)
Championships Match (7.00 pm local time)
