Djokovic, Federer and the 10 players to watch at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

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  Roger Federer: One of the biggest attractions anywhere he plays and arguably the greatest player of all time. The world No 2 made a surprise third round exit at the Australian Open, but is not a man to be messed with in Dubai. The reigning - and six-time - champion is back ready to defend his title and is sure to attract scores of fans to the stadium. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

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  Andy Murray: A finalist here on his last appearance in 2012, Murray is back among the top-four after an injury-hit 2014. The two-time major winner has been criticised for his “meltdown” in the Australian Open final, when he lost 12 of the last 13 games. He made an early exit at Rotterdam last week and so will be looking for a good run in Dubai before he flies out to the US for the two Masters in Indians Wells and Miami. David Crosling / EPA

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  Tomas Berdych: Nobody has suffered more in this era of the Big Four than the Czech – 12 of his defeats at grand slams have been courtesy of them, including the 2010 Wimbledon final, when he beat Federer and Djokovic only to lose to Rafael Nadal. He has been in hot form this year though, with two finals and a semi in his three tournaments, and Berdych will be hoping to be third-time lucky after losing in the final the last two years. Koen Suyk / EPA

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  Ernests Gulbis: Named after American author Ernest Hemingway, the Latvian has a reputation for speaking his mind, without ever trying to be politically correct. Of course, he can let his racket do the talking as well and his rapid rise up the rankings is evidence. Ranked No138 at the start of 2013, he is on the verge of breaking back into the top 10, but more importantly, he is one of the few “characters” on the tour. Dan Istitene / Getty

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  Feliciano Lopez: Enjoying his highest ranking ever on the tour, the Spaniard is a star attraction for reasons more than just his tennis. With his good looks, he is a favourite of the fairer sex and has earned the nickname of “Deliciano”. Lopez, of course, is a two-time Dubai finalist as well, losing to Federer in 2004 and then Andy Roddick four years later. Could make another good run. Andrew Cowie / AFP

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  Richard Gasquet: Known for his classical elegance and a majestic single-handed backhand, the Frenchman is one of the toughest competitors on the tour and, if injury free, he can hit with the best. He has beaten the likes of Federer, Djokovic and Murray in the past, and French fans here will be hoping he can repeat those achievements here over the coming week. Sylvain Thomas / AFP

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  Nick Kyrgios: One of the top young talents in men’s tennis, the 19-year-old will be making his debut in Dubai and, given his ranking, the Australian could be up against one of the top guns in the opening round. Of course, that would matter little to him - he showed little respect to Rafael Nadal at last year’s Wimbledon. He is a young man with an attitude and should be an instant hit with the fans here. Sajjad Hussain / AFP

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  Dominic Thiem: The eldest son of two professional tennis coaches, Thiem is considered one of the brightest young talents and he climbed from No139 to as high as No36 in the rankings in 2014. His most memorable moment of the year, of course, was that stunning 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Stan Wawrinka in Madrid. The “Dominator” came across as a fearless warrior that night, with a formidable all-court game, and the tennis world could be seeing a lot more of him this year. EXPA / EPA

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  Mikhail Youzhny: Making his 14th appearance at the tournament, the Russian is a bit of a sentimental favourite around here. The 32-year-old has not missed a single event since 2002 and has done well through the years, making two finals and two semis. A former world No8, Youzhny is probably past his prime, but his Russians fans will still pack the stands when he is playing. Peter Schneider / EPA

Ahead of the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Champions next week, Ahmed Rizvi profiles the 10 players you should watch out for.

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