Two-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud will join world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz in making his debut at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in December, organisers announced on Tuesday.
Ruud, 23, is the second player to be confirmed for the six-man tournament at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre in Abu Dhabi, which takes place December 16-18.
Alcaraz, who beat Ruud in a thrilling US Open final last month, was the first male player to be announced, while the one-off women's match will be contested by world No 2 Ons Jabeur and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
“I’m really looking forward to visiting Abu Dhabi for the first time to contest the Mubadala World Tennis Championship,” Ruud said. “It’s been a tournament on my radar for some time and I know that the level of tennis is going to be of the highest quality. I’m excited to be involved and play in front of my fans over there in the UAE.”
Ruud is enjoying another superb season, adding to the five titles he won in 2021 with another three this year while also reaching two Grand Slam finals, at Roland Garros and the US Open. Ranked world No 3, the Norwegian reached a career-high No 2 following the US Open final.
“We are delighted to confirm Casper Ruud will be contesting this year’s championship," said John Lickrish, CEO Flash Entertainment, the tournament's owners. "To have the world No 1 and No 3, and the next generation of tennis superstars, is a real coup for the UAE capital and shows the popularity of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.
"Just last month, these two players were contesting the final of the US Open and now there is every chance they could face each other in Abu Dhabi. That is what we are always looking to produce – an event featuring the very best.”
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Carlos Alcaraz of Spain poses inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium with the championship trophy after defeating Casper Ruud of Norway during the men's final match at the US Open at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 11 September 2022. EPA -
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy after beatings Norway's Casper Ruud to win the 2022 US Open men's final. AFP -
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy. AFP -
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and Norway's Casper Ruud pose with their trophies following their 2022 US Open men's final match. AFP -
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning the men's final against Norway's Casper Ruud. Reuters -
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the championship trophy. Reuters -
Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with his coaching team. Reuters -
Norway's Casper Ruud, right, congratulates Spain's Carlos Alcaraz after winning the 2022 US Open final. AFP -
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz hits a return to Norway's Casper Ruud. AFP -
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz hits a return to Norway's Casper Ruud. AFP -
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates with the trophy. AFP
The 14th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship will continue its traditional format of hosting the two quarter-final matches on Day 1, with the top two seeds receiving byes into the second day's semi-finals. Day 1 will also host the match between Jabeur and Raducanu.
Day 2 then sees the fifth-place playoff between the losers from the quarter-finals and the two semi-finals, while the third day will host the third-place playoff and final.
Tickets start from Dh95 for adults and Dh45 for children on Day 1, Dh195 and Dh95 on Day 2, and Dh295 and Dh195 for Day 3.
Organisers have scheduled the Day 3 matches to take place earlier than usual to ensure fans are able to watch the 2022 World Cup final, which is scheduled to take place at 7pm UAE time.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
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Ons Jabeur celebrates after beating Caroline Garcia in the US Open semi-finals at Flushing Meadows in New York on Thursday, September 8, 2022. Reuters -
Tunisia's Ons Jabeur during her win over Caroline Garcia of France in New York. AFP -
Caroline Garcia returns a shot against Ons Jabeur. Getty -
Ons Jabeur hugs Caroline Garcia after the match in New York. AP -
Caroline Garcia saw her 13-match winning streak ended by Ons Jabeur. AFP -
Ons Jabeur reached her second Grand Slam final. AFP -
Ons Jabeur and Caroline Garcia after the semi-final. AFP -
Jabeur celebrates after beating Caroline Garcia. AFP -
Ons Jabeur celebrates after beating Caroline Garcia. AFP -
Caroline Garcia waves to the crowd after losing to Ons Jabeur. AFP
