Organisers of the Mubadala World Championships are confident the International Premier Tennis League will not impact on its future, despite just over two weeks separating the scheduled end of the new competition and the start of the Abu Dhabi tournament.
The last leg of the IPTL is set to run in Dubai from December 11-14, three weeks after the Davis Cup final, traditionally the final event of the season.
The MWTC will be held on January 1-3, 2015, representing the unofficial start to the new campaign as players fine-tune their game after the Christmas break.
With Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Jo Wilfried Tsonga – who played in Abu Dhabi last December – all participating in the IPTL, the desire for an extended rest before the Australian Open in January could therefore see them opt out of the MWTC.
However Greg Sproule, Middle East Managing Director of tournament organisers IMG, believes the MWTC’s status as an excellent warm up for Australia will maintain its prestige among the world’s best.
Sproule told Sport360°: “While I can’t comment on a particular player’s schedule at this early stage of the IPTL roll out, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship will continue to do the same as we have done in the past by engaging in professional and mutually-beneficial discussions with players to participate in the Championship.
“Our aim has been – and always will be – to assemble the best player field we can for our tournament, and also to do the very best we can to make the players and their families feel welcome and well looked after – which is what Abu Dhabi has become so well known for.
“We believe that Abu Dhabi and the Mubadala World Tennis Championship is a great place for players to train and to begin their journey to the Australian Open.”
