The Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi has another prominent promise: Rafael Nadal completes the field around Novak Djokovic and Co. – but with a question mark.
Since the US Open, Rafael Nadal has not played a match, missed two Masters tournaments and the Nitto ATP finals. Now there should be an official date for the return of the world ranking second place.
The Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi will be the chosen venue for the Spaniard’s comeback. Nadal has travelled nine times to the exhibition tournament in the capital of the Arab Emirates, where he won the title four times.
“Abu Dhabi is one of my favorite places for tennis. The climate, the atmosphere and the enthusiastic fans at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships are great conditions to start the new season,” Nadal explained in an official tournament statement.
But Nadal won’t be the only superstar in Abu Dhabi. Also the world number one Novak Djokovic, Kevin Anderson and Austria’s number one Dominic Thiem have already confirmed for the fun tournament with competition character.
In addition, Karen Khachanov and Hyeon Chung are two players of the next generation on the entry list. Khachanov was particularly convincing at the Masters in Paris-Bercy, when he won his biggest title so far against Novak Djokovic.
In addition to the men, two top stars of the WTA Tour will also be present. Venus Williams has already been confirmed as one of the two actors. Last year Venus’ sister Serena made her comeback in Abu Dhabi after her baby break and lost there to Jelena Ostapenko.