Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open: Players, schedule, tickets and all you need to know

Many of the world's best tennis players will be in the UAE for the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open this week as part of the WTA Tour's Middle East swing. Here is everything you need to know about the tournament.

What is it?

The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open is a professional tennis tournament on the WTA Tour. It is a WTA 500 event, meaning the winner will earn 500 ranking points. This year's event is the third after it became a permanent fixture on the WTA Tour calendar in 2023.

When is it?

The 2025 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open will begin on Saturday, February 1, with the qualifiers and runs until the final on Saturday, February 8.

Where is it?

The tournament will take place at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City.

Who is playing?

The 2025 line-up is stacked with top players and household names. The tournament is headlined by Tunisian superstar Ons Jabeur, who will be joined in Abu Dhabi by world No 5 and defending champion Elena Rybakina, 10th-ranked Paula Badosa and British star Emma Raducanu, who has accepted a wildcard.

Confirmed for the tournament are: Ekaterina Alexandrova (Russia), Amanda Anisimova (US), Paula Badosa (Spain), Belinda Bencic (Switzerland), Leylah Fernandez (Canada), Magdalena Frech (Poland), Caroline Garcia (France), Ons Jabeur (Tunisia), Daria Kasatkina (Russia), Ashlyn Krueger (US), Magda Linette (Poland), Linda Noskova (Czechia), Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia), Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan), Emma Raducanu (GB), Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan), Liudmila Samsonova (Russia), Wakana Sonobe (Japan), Marketa Vondrousova (Czechia), Dayana Yastremska (Ukraine).

What is the schedule?

Saturday, February 1: Qualifiers

Sunday, February 2: Qualifiers

Monday, February 3: Round of 32

Tuesday, February 4: Round of 16

Wednesday, February 5: Round of 16

Thursday, February 6: Quarter-finals

Friday, February 7: Semi-finals

Saturday, February 8: Final

Bigger and better fan village

At 15,000 square metres, the Mubadala Tennis Village is double the size of previous years, with a whole host of activities available.

Made up of five separate districts, spectators can take part in a number of tennis-themed games. In fact, the more activities completed the better as the Tennis Village Passport gives attendees a chance to be rewarded for their efforts. Passports will be given to guests on arrival, and stamped on completion of each stall, with prizes including tickets and branded merchandise awarded to those with 13 stamps.

Sport and music

The Mubadala Tennis Village will play host to musical acts throughout the tournament, starting on Saturday, February 1, when Carl Lafrenais and the FTM Band take to the stage, followed by Gemma & JK on Sunday, February 2. With entry to the event free on opening weekend, fans can head down to enjoy both brilliant tennis and fantastic live music.

Other musical acts to keep an eye out for over the course of the event include Irish singer/songwriter Joe Girvin, Darren Lynch, who will be performing classic hits, and Kerrie Duo, while Dan Moores and Chelsey will be providing the soundtrack to the final day’s play.

Are tickets available?

Tickets for the tournament are available in three categories: Regular (Category 2), Premium (Category 1), and Courtside. Ticket prices based on each round and tier:

Saturday and Sunday, qualifying: Regular (free), Premium (free), Courtside (free)

Monday-Wednesday, first & second round: Regular (Dh25 for adults, free for children), Premium (Dh50 for adults, free for children), Courtside (Dh95 for adults and children)

Thursday, quarter-finals: Regular (Dh50 for adults, Dh35 for children), Premium (Dh175 for adults, Dh75 for children), Courtside (Dh795 for adults and children)

Friday, semi-finals: Regular (Dh65 for adults, Dh35 for children), Premium (Dh185 for adults, Dh85 for children), Courtside (Dh895 for adults and children)

Saturday, final: Regular (Dh75 for adults, Dh35 for children), Premium: Sold out, Courtside: Sold Out

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.mubadalaabudhabiopen.com/tickets.

Is the tournament on TV?

For those unable to attend the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, the tournament will be broadcast live on Abu Dhabi TV.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”