French Open winner Stan Wawrinka has been added to the fray for the Mubadala World Tennis Championships, organisers announced on Wednesday.
The annual exhibition, slated for December 31-January 2, already boasts Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic and David Ferrer. It will serve as an especially valuable warmup for Wawrinka, who can set his sights in Abu Dhabi on rounding into form ahead of the Australian Open, which he won in 2014.
This will be the third tournament in a row with Wawrinka booked to play, and his fourth overall after he played in the UAE capital in the second edition of the event in 2010. He has yet to win in Abu Dhabi after five matches here.
“Abu Dhabi has been really good to me over the years and I’m looking forward to getting back on the court there in front of that excited crowd,” Warwinka said in a press release. “The atmosphere is always electric and the conditions are perfect.
“As is always the case, the lineup is strong and the competition is tough ... it seems to be one of the most competitive lineups yet but that’s exactly what we look for as players; pushing ourselves early so we can start the season strong.
“The past few years have started very well for me and Abu Dhabi has played a part in that.”
Wawrinka has rapidly risen in the past cople years to become a two-time grand slam winner, as he has refined a piercing backhand that is among the most dangerous weapons in tennis.
The current world No 4 was a victim of Nadal’s return to form in Shanghai earlier this month, where he dropped the quarter-final to the domineering Spaniard 6-2, 6-1. He begins his next run on Tuesday at the ATP Basel tournament, with a first-round match against Ivo Karlovic in the recently upgraded 500 Series event.
The 30-year-old has already confirmed his place for the end of season ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.
Tickets for the Mubadala World Tennis Championships are currently on sale at ticketmaster.ae. More informationa can be found at mubadalawtc.com.
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