Stefanos Tsitispas has completed the line-up for next month's Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) in Abu Dhabi, organisers announced on Tuesday.
Tsitipas, the Greek world No 3, joins top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, Norwegian world No 4 Casper Ruud, defending champion Andrey Rublev of Russia, British No 1 Cameron Norrie, and American US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe at the December 16-18 tournament at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre.
The one-off women's match will be contested by Tunisian world No 2 Ons Jabeur and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain.
It will be Tsitsipas' second appearance at MWTC having reached the 2019 final, where he narrowly lost to Rafael Nadal.
“The Mubadala World Tennis Championship in 2019 was an incredible experience and I'm happy to be returning to Abu Dhabi,” Tsitsipas said. “I still cherish the love and support my fans there showed me and I’m looking forward to a wonderful time this year as well. Hopefully, I can leave this time with the trophy.”
Tsitsipas, 24, will head to Abu Dhabi after another strong season, which saw him win two titles including the successful defence of the Monte Carlo Masters crown. His best Grand Slam effort came at the Australian Open, where the Greek reached the semi-finals.
Tsitsipas is currently competing at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy but lost his opening match on Monday evening to Novak Djokovic. A nine-time winner on the ATP Tour, Tsitsipas won the ATP Finals title on debut in 2019, becoming the tournament's youngest winner since Lleyton Hewitt in 2001.
“I want to reiterate that getting the greatest players in the world to play in Abu Dhabi is always our top priority; Stefanos is another of the next generation of players emerging in the race for the No 1 slot on the ATP Tour” said John Lickrish, CEO of Flash Entertainment, the tournament owners.
“Stefanos Tsitsipas is, without a doubt, one of the most promising young stars in tennis having already accomplished so much despite being only 24. He won plenty of admirers when he reached the final here in 2019 and I’m sure the fans will love seeing him showcase his skills in Abu Dhabi once again.”
Nadal v Tsitsipas in 2019 MWTC final
The 14th edition of MWTC will follow its usual format, comprising two quarter-final matches on Day 1 before the women's match between Jabeur and Raducanu.
The top two seeds will receive byes into Day 2's semi-finals where they will face the winners of the opening day quarter-finals, following the fifth-place playoff.
Day 3 will then host the third-place playoff before the final and trophy ceremony. This year's final will take place earlier than normal so fans are able to watch the Qatar 2022 World Cup final the same evening.
Tickets start from Dh95 for adults and Dh45 for children and can be purchased on the event’s official website www.mubadalawtc.com.
