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28 March 2024

Nadal, Wawrinka set for showdown in Mubadala World Tennis Championship

Pat Cash and Nadine Saleh Hassan of Mubadala make the MWTC draw with the help of public at Yas Mall on Saturday. (Supplied)

Published
By Allaam Ousman

The Mubadala World Tennis Championship could produce a potentially thrilling showdown between former world number one Rafael Nadal and double Grand Slam winner Stanislaus Wawrinka.

Two-time Mubadala champion Nadal will get a chance to open 2016 with a win during the annual Abu Dhabi event which takes place from December 31 to January 2 at Zayed Sports City.

Spaniard Nadal and Swiss Wawrinka got a bye for the opening day of the tournament where six players will vie for the ‘winner-takes-all’ prize of  $250,000.

World number seven David Ferrer and Abu Dhabi crowd puller Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will open the high-octane action while two tournament newcomers will play the second match of day one.

Kevin Anderson, the hard-hitting South African who stands tall at a massive 6’ 8”, or Milos Raonic, himself one of the most powerful and precise servers in the game, will go through to play on day two.

The official draw for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship yet was made Saturday at Yas Mall with the help of tennis enthusiasts as well as tournament ambassador and former Grand Slam champion Pat Cash.

“The Mubadala World Tennis Championship always serves up some amazing action and memorable tennis for the Middle East. This competition has become renowned for its star studded line up and hard hitting tennis as a perfect campaign-opener for any player going into the New Year. Every player likes to get their year underway with a good, solid performance and hopefully a win, so to do it here in Abu Dhabi against the best really helps build confidence for the year ahead," said Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion.

""Players love coming and competing here in the UAE and although we see fierce competition on the court, there is a relaxed environment off of it and players have the chance to spend time meeting fans and coaching youngsters. Overall it is a great experience for all, and a fantastic display of the sport we love at its best,” added the Australian tennis legend.

Cash also hosted a masterclass with youngsters from this year’s Mubadala Tennis in Schools programme.

Tsonga will be looking to claim a win over Ferrer, who recently secured a milestone 25th ATP World Tour title at the Malaysian Open and also beat the Frenchman at their last meeting in the semi-finals at Roland Garros.

After an injury prone start to the year, Tsonga has turned his season around and found excellent form over recent months to win his third Metz title at the Moselle Open and reach the finals of the Shanghai Masters.

Should Tsonga prove successful, however, he’ll go through to play Nadal on day two whom he knocked out of the Shanghai Masters earlier this year in the semi-finals.

But with Ferrer leading the head-to-head 3-1 against Tsonga and himself a regular feature in the finals in Abu Dhabi, that could be a tough ask.

Raonic will make his Mubadala World Tennis Championship debut on December 31.

The Canadian superstar broke into the top four in the world earlier this year and has been in fine form.

He will face off against the statuesque South African with one of the biggest serves in the game, Anderson.

The two have met on court only twice and are currently level in their head-to-head.

This is also Anderson’s first taste of Abu Dhabi action and he will want to make a good impression on UAE soil.

Anderson’s biggest moment this year came when he defeated Andy Murray in the US Open and advanced to his first ever quarter finals in a Grand Slam.

With two newcomers set to go head-to-head for their first chance at the coveted Abu Dhabi title, fans can be sure of an explosive match to send them into the New Year.

The draw also saw the UAE turn their excitement to a possible head to head between Wawrinka and Nadal.

The Swiss star leads the pair’s head to head battles in 2015 having overcome Nadal twice this year, both at quarter final stages and most recently at the BNP Paribas Masters earlier this month.

The Mubadala World Tennis Championship aims to leave a legacy for tennis and grow the game through two grassroots programmemes including the Mubadala Tennis in Schools (MTiS) programmeme.

The inspirational community initiative, championed by Mubadala, gives local students aged 7-10 from across all schools in Abu Dhabi the chance to take their first steps in the sport by introducing them to a series of tennis sessions taking place each week at International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City.

The programmeme provides pupils coaching within the professional tennis environment they need to nurture a life-long passion for the game from an early age, and encourage an active and healthy lifestyle.

Thanks to the success of the programme, this year MTiS has been extended to run throughout the full school year.

Tickets are available for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship at www.ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Megastores across the UAE, or by calling 800 TMUAE (86 823) or +971 4 3662289 for International calls.

GP race ticket holders can benefit from a 20% discount on Category 2 tickets for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2016 through the Y1 Access programme.

For more information about MWTC 2016, visit www.mubadalawtc.com or www.facebook.com/mubadalaworldtennischampionship