DUBAI // Tennis fans queued in the cold overnight for prime tickets to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships before the box office opened on Tuesday morning.
Tickets went on sale at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre in Garhoud at 8am, with online sales starting at 9am, but some in the queue were there from midnight. By 10am, tickets for Prime A seats were sold out.
However, earlier rounds for the men’s championships and the women’s finals were still available on Tuesday afternoon.
Many were concerned tickets would sell out fast because of the limited capacity at the venue.
The event is due to take place between February 17 and March 1 and feature stars such as Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro in the men’s singles competition.
The women’s event is scheduled to include Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki.
Raju Karki, 21, from Nepal, arrived at 3.30am and found himself 74th in the queue.
“Some of the people who were at the front got here at midnight, or even earlier,” Mr Karki said.
“It was cold last night. I’ve just been drinking coffee and chatting with my friend to pass the time.”
Rob Nawaz Khan, 35, from Pakistan, was 84th after arriving at 4.30am.
“Every year, it’s the same story,” he said. “By the end of the day they’ll be sold out. If you come tomorrow, it will probably be too late.”
Mr Khan, who works as a procurement officer for an engineering company, said he was hoping to buy 18 tickets for fellow employees.
“I’m a procurement manager but today my job is to procure tickets,” he said. “If I’m late to the office, it doesn’t matter too much.”
There are slightly more than 3,000 seats in the grandstand area for the men’s final, but half of those had already been reserved for sponsors. About 1,500 tickets went on sale on Tuesday for Dh500 each.
Sarah Marks, media manager for the tournament, said the number of tickets available had been limited to four each for people, and 10 for companies.
“There’s huge demand for the tickets,” Ms Marks said. “Having a smaller stadium is difficult for us in that there aren’t so many tickets available.
“But it’s a more intimate experience when you’re in there, because you really do get to see the players.”
Richard Morris, 23, from the UK, was hoping to buy four tickets for his brother and other family members who were visiting Dubai.
Mr Morris, a tennis coach who works on the court where the tournament will be held, said he had met many of the stars, including Federer, when he was working at Wimbledon.
“It’s mostly for my brother, who has never seen them live,” he said.
Mr Morris arrived at 5am to get a good place in the queue.
“I’ve done it before for Wimbledon,” he said. “If you have good music and coffee, it’s not too bad.”
Staff from a nearby coffee shop walked up and down the queue taking orders. Some ticket hopefuls brought foldable chairs and books to help to pass the time.
Raj Purshotam, 27, from India, took a day off from managing a computer shop in Bur Dubai to queue. He got there at 7am and brought a seat with him.
“I came last year and this year I’m better prepared,” Mr Purshotam said.
He said he knew there was going to be a large queue but had ruled out arriving in the early hours of the morning.
“I love tennis but I’m not that crazy,” Mr Purshotam said. “If I don’t get tickets, there’s always the TV.”
Gilbert Abumrad, 42, a Lebanese-American, arrived after the box office opened at 8am.
“This is just for my nine-year-old son. I’d never do this for myself,” Mr Abumrad said. “I never expected queues like this. How long will I be here before I freak out? Ask me in five minutes.
“If it takes hours I’ll have to say, ‘I love you son, but not that much’.”
mcroucher@thenational.ae
*An earlier version of this article indicated that this year’s event is at a smaller stadium when in fact, it is the same venue as previous years.
