Nadal faces Berdych on MWTC day one

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  • Nadal was the winner last year.

    Former world No5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made a surprise pit stop in Abu Dhabi on Monday where he helped unveil the draw for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC), which he kicks off against his good friend David Goffin this December.

    Tsonga, set to make his fifth appearance at the season-opening showpiece in the UAE capital, is part of a strong six-player field that will grace centre court at Zayed Sports City from December 29 to 31, headlined by world No1 Andy Murray.

    Murray and world No4 Milos Raonic are the top seeds in Abu Dhabi and have a bye in the opening round. Day one will feature Tsonga’s match against Goffin followed by a mouth-watering clash between three-time MWTC champion Rafael Nadal and returning Czech Tomas Berdych.

    The winner of the showdown between Tsonga and Goffin will go on to square off against Murray in the semi-finals on day two while the victor from the other day one encounter will play Raonic.

    Nadal not being seeded this year could actually mean good news for the Spaniard’s fans as he could end up competing on all three days of the MWTC should he win his opening match.

    This year's draw in full.

    This year’s draw in full.

    Tsonga is looking forward to ringing the New Year in the capital and had some words of advice to his Belgian pal Goffin, who will be making his tournament debut.

    “David is a very good friend, we spend a lot of time on tour together so it’s going to be funny to tell him that we’re going to play each other in the first round,” Tsonga said yesterday.

    “I think the advice I would give him is to be prepared because all the guys when they come here they really want to test their tennis and they play full tennis and it’s a competition that is hard to win – I know because I’ve never won it, and I’m looking for it.”

    This year’s MWTC represents the ninth edition of the Abu Dhabi spectacle that has gone from strength to strength since its inception. The six players taking part fight for a winner-takes-all prize of $250,000 and use the tournament as the ultimate warm-up for the Australian Open that commences just two weeks after the action here.

    “For me it’s not an exhibition,” insists Tsonga. “An exhibition is something were you try to do something to have fun and that’s it. But when we play here at the Mubadala, we all play seriously because we want to see how we are compared to the other players because we’re preparing for the Australian Open.

    “And most of the time the player who wins the tournament here finishes in the top-three at the end of the year except maybe last year with Rafa because he had an injury and it was difficult. I think it’s important to play well here.”

    The tournament, owned by FLASH Entertainment, organised by IMG and sponsored by Mubadala, prides itself on its extensive community programmes that aim to get as many youngsters and residents engaged in tennis.

    The Mubadala Community Cup sees hundreds of players across all age groups competing in local tournaments with the winners earning spots in clinics with one of the six stars of the MWTC. The Mubadala Tennis in Schools programme visits local and international schools across the UAE where they provide training for PE teachers, equipment and know-how to spread the love for the sport.

    The UAE Cup sees the top Emirati players compete for a chance to play doubles with the contestants of the fifth-place playoff on day two of the MWTC.

    Tickets for the MWTC start at Dh50 and can be found at www.ticketmaster.ae.

    For more information visit www.mubadalawtc.com and www.facebook.com/mubadalaworldtennischampionship.com.

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