Rafael Nadal will return to "one of my favourite places to play" for next month's Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, the world No 2 confirmed on Tuesday.
The 17-time grand slam champion joins a stellar list including world No 1 Novak Djokovic, defending MWTC champion Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov, as well as seven-time major winner Venus Williams for the December 27-29 exhibition event.
Nadal, 32, will attempt to win a record-extending fifth MWTC title, having previously won in 2010, 2011 and both 2016 editions, which were held in the January and December of that year.
“Abu Dhabi is one of my favourite places to play, the climate, atmosphere and enthusiasm from the crowds at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship provides the perfect start to the new season," the Spaniard said.
"The tournament brings together players at the top of their game; we all relish playing in these extremely competitive matches.”
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Read more:
Graham Caygill: Rafael Nadal can duel with Novak Djokovic in 2019 for majors - but he must change his schedule
Novak Djokovic: Winning Mubadala World Tennis Championship will cap a great 2018
Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams confirmed for Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi
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John Lickrish, chief executive of Flash Entertainment, the event organisers, said: “We’re putting together an exciting line-up – one that reiterates the growing prominence of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship on the global tennis calendar. Nadal’s return, alongside the newly crowned No 1 Novak Djokovic, plus returning champ Kevin Anderson, underlines the importance top players place on the event. Welcoming Venus Williams for her debut in Abu Dhabi adds additional star power; we’re truly excited at the calibre of participants this year.”
Earlier this month, Nadal was forced to pull out of the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals in London because of an abdominal injury and last week also withdrew from the King Salman Tennis Championship in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this year, Nadal tied the record held by Margaret Court for the most titles won at a single grand slam by beating Thiem in the final of the French Open and this year won his 33rd ATP Masters 1000 title at Toronto and passed Roger Federer for most ATP Masters 1000 wins at 362.
Tickets for the MWTC at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City are priced from Dh100, with free admission for children on the first day of the tournament on December 27.
They can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 and at all Virgin Megastores across the UAE.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
CREW
Director: Rajesh A Krishnan
Starring: Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon
Rating: 3.5/5
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Company Profile
Name: HyveGeo
Started: 2023
Founders: Abdulaziz bin Redha, Dr Samsurin Welch, Eva Morales and Dr Harjit Singh
Based: Cambridge and Dubai
Number of employees: 8
Industry: Sustainability & Environment
Funding: $200,000 plus undisclosed grant
Investors: Venture capital and government
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
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Sunday's fixtures
- Bournemouth v Southampton, 5.30pm
- Manchester City v West Ham United, 8pm
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
Most match wins on clay
Guillermo Vilas - 659
Manuel Orantes - 501
Thomas Muster - 422
Rafael Nadal - 399 *
Jose Higueras - 378
Eddie Dibbs - 370
Ilie Nastase - 338
Carlos Moya - 337
Ivan Lendl - 329
Andres Gomez - 322
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
BACK TO ALEXANDRIA
Director: Tamer Ruggli
Starring: Nadine Labaki, Fanny Ardant
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
