Whether or not Andy Murray is No 1 in the world at the time, tennis fans in Abu Dhabi will see him in action at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships on the second day of the event next month.
As the top seed, Murray receives a bye and will play the winner of the opening day match between Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Goffin on Friday, December 30. On the other side of a draw that was unveiled by Tsonga on Monday in Abu Dhabi will be Milos Raonic, who will face the winner of the second opening day match between Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych.
Murray, a two-time Mubadala winner, has been the form player on the men’s tour through the second half of the season. Last week he replaced Novak Djokovic to reach top spot for the first time in his career.
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Whether he arrives in Abu Dhabi in the same position will depend on how he fares at the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, which began in London on Monday. He has to outperform Djokovic at the tournament to stay No 1. Even accounting for Djokovic’s little dip in form that will not be easy – the Serb has won this title four years in a row.
Tsonga, a crowd favourite in Abu Dhabi, flew in to the capital specially for the draw and will open the tournament on the first day, on Thursday. He will be competing in his fifth Mubadala tournament.
“I’m really happy to be here, I always enjoy coming here,” he said. “For me it’s the best warm-up for the Australian Open. You play against the best players in the world, you can compare your preparation to their preparation. The conditions are always good, we always get a good welcome so it’s great to be back again.
“All the guys who come here really want to test their games. They play full tennis. It’s a competition that is hard to win and I know because I’ve never won it.”
The prospect of watching Nadal play, potentially, on all three days will be another one fans will look out for. Nadal is a three-time winner in Abu Dhabi and arrives as the defending champion and will play on the opening day for the first time in his eight appearances here.
He is ranked eighth in the world currently, however, which means a defense would entail beating Berdych, Raonic and, possibly, Murray over the weekend. Among the six players, the 11th-ranked Goffin is the only one appearing at Mubadala for the first time.
For more information about the 2016 Mubadala Tennis World Championship, visit: www.mubadalawtc.com.
TOURNAMENT SCHEUDLE
December 29 (from 5pm)
1. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs David Goffin
2. Rafael Nadal vs Tomas Berdych
December 30 (from 5pm)
1. Andy Murray vs Tsonga/Goffin
2. Milos Raonic vs Nadal/Berdych
December 31
1. 3rd/4th place play-off (1pm)
2. Final (3pm)
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