Organisers of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) are thrilled by the return of Stan Wawrinka to the tournament’s lineup after the Swiss was confirmed as the third player set to join Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the marquee event next year.
After making his Abu Dhabi debut back in 2010, Wawrinka returned to the UAE capital in last year’s edition of the tournament. A couple of weeks later, the Swiss went on to win his maiden grand slam title, defeating Nadal in the final of the Australian Open.
Organisers cited the world No4’s commitment to their community initiatives as one of the reasons they were excited to have him back.
“I think it’s really exciting that he’s confirmed,” said event director, Vickie Gunnarsson of IMG, who are joint organisers of the tournaments along with owners FLASH and title sponsors Mubadala. “This shows us the players take our tournament very seriously and that it’s an important part of their preparation for the new season.
“The fact that Stan really cares about the community, which is an important part of our tournament, is also why it’s great to have him again.”
The MWTC’s seventh edition will take place from January 1-3 2015 where six players will fight for the winner-takes-all $250,000 (Dh918,000) prize money. The remaining three players who will complete the lineup will be announced at the official launch on October 13. Last year, Wawrinka lost in Abu Dhabi to David Ferrer and Andy Murray but went on to win his first 13 matches of 2014 soon after, a stretch which included titles in Chennai and Australia.
Speaking from the US Open, where the 29-year-old has progressed to the fourth round, Wawrinka said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be returning to Abu Dhabi to start the year at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Although I didn’t play my best tennis there last year, I realised I had to improve which produced positive results, especially in Australia.
"This year I’ll be aiming to get off to an even stronger start and I would love to win.”
