Order of play also confirmed.
The eighth and final player of the 2021 Mubadala World Tennis Championship has been announced and it is an exciting piece of news for British ex-pat tennis fans.
Three-time Grand Slam champion, Andy Murray will take to the court at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City for the competition to be held from 16 to 18 December.
The Scotsman who has been victorious in Abu Dhabi twice, in 2009 and 2015, will join a star-studded line-up which includes three of the world’s top 10 male players; Andrey Rublev; Rafael Nadal; Casper Ruud; as well as world number 14, Denis Shapovalov and 15, Dominic Thiem.
Speaking on the announcement, Murray said: “I’ve got many happy memories of Abu Dhabi and I’m looking forward to returning.”
It is the second British player to be confirmed for the 13th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship after US Open Ladies’ champion Emma Raducanu was revealed as the first player to sign up for the tournament, something which Murray says will be big for British tennis.
He said: “With Emma (Raducanu) also playing on day one, we will be flying the flag for British tennis and looking to put on a strong display.”
CEO of Flash Entertainment, organsiers of the tournament, John Lickrish, said that the addition of Murray makes it one of the strongest fields Abu Dhabi has ever witnessed.
He said:“Andy has a special place in Abu Dhabi as the first champion on this tournament back in 2009.
“With his return completing our line-up, this year’s field is one of the strongest in the Championship’s history with the perfect blend of youth and experience, Abu Dhabi crowd favourites and exciting debutants.
“It’s shaping up to be a fantastic three-day festival on and off court.”
With the confirmation of all eight players at this year’s tournament, the order of play for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship has also been revealed.
Day one will see the winner of the most ATP titles in 2021, Ruud, take on Wimbledon semi-finalist, Shapovalov before being followed by Thiem and the aforementioned Murray.
The day’s play will close with the clash of Raducanu and Olympic gold medal winner, Belinda Bencic.
Day two sees Spaniard Nadal and Rublev make their bow before the men’s semi-finals and fifth place play-off matches take place.
Day three culminates in a third-place play-off and the final.
Tickets for the tournament start from AED 100 adults and AED 50 for children and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster UAE and Virgin Megastores across the UAE.
To gain entry to the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, fans must present a green status on their Al Hosn app alongside a negative PCR test result with a 96-hour validity for the three days.
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