This will be the ninth staging of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) at Zayed Tennis Stadium in Abu Dhabi, with the action running from December 29-31.
Here is a look at the six men who will be lining up for the event.
Andy Murray
Nationality: British
World ranking: 1
2016 highlight: Winning Wimbledon for the second time
Best MWTC result: Winner in 2009 and 2015
• Murray has just enjoyed the best year of his career, reaching world No 1 for the first time earlier this month after a season in which he won Wimbledon for a second time, retained the men’s Olympics singles title in Rio, reached the final of the Australian Open and French Open and won eight titles in total. It will be his fifth time competing in Abu Dhabi.
Milos Raonic
Nationality: Canadian
World ranking: 4
2016 highlight: Beating Roger Federer in the semi-finals to reach his first grand slam final at Wimbledon
Best MWTC result: Runner-up in Jan 2016
• Raonic will be seeking to go one better in Abu Dhabi having lost to Rafael Nadal in the January 2016 final on his debut at the tournament. The big-serving Canadian had a consistent year, highlighted by reaching the Wimbledon final, and he also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal
Nationality: Spanish
World ranking: 8
2016 highlight: Being part of Spain men’s doubles that won gold at the Rio Olympics in August
Best MWTC result: Winner 2010, Jan 2011 and Jan 2016
• A wrist injury curtailed Nadal’s 2016 season last month and Abu Dhabi will be the 14-time major winner’s return to the court. The Spaniard is the most successful player in the tournament’s history, having won it three times in the past, and he showed this year that when healthy he remains a fierce competitor, winning the Monte Carlo and Barcelona titles in the spring.
Tomas Berdych
Nationality: Czech
World ranking: 10
2016 highlight: Winning the Shenzen Open
Best MWTC result: Semi-finalist Jan 2011
• A disappointing year for the Czech, with only one title, won in China last month, to his name. But Berdych should not be discounted and the way he troubled Murray in their quarter-finals match at the Paris Masters last week shows he can still play with the best. It is his first time in Abu Dhabi since December 2012.
David Goffin
Nationality: Belgian
World ranking: 11
2016 highlight: Reaching the last four in Indian Wells and Miami in successive tournaments
Best MWTC result: Debutant
• Currently at a career high in the ATP rankings after a consistent 2016. Did not win any tournaments but his tenacity and strength on hard courts, highlighted by his run to the semi-finals at Indian Wells and Miami should make him a contender next month.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Nationality: French
World ranking: 12
2016 highlight: Quarter-finals appearances at Wimbledon and US Open
Best MWTC result: Fourth place 2013
• The Frenchman can be almost unplayable at time when he finds range, with his power from the back of the court capable of reeling off a number of winners at any moment. Gave Murray a big scare at Wimbledon when he came from two sets down in their quarter-final, and he should not be taken lightly despite being the lowest ranked of the six players.