Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ready for Abu Dhabi to compete in Mubadala

Sport360 staff 11:50 28/12/2015
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  • Loving the city: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

    Jo-Wilfried Tsonga rose to fame by virtue of his performance at the 2008 Australian Open where, as an unseeded player, he reached the final beating then World No.2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.

    Since then the French powerhouse has firmly established himself on the world stage and now he is set to return to Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship for a fourth appearance in the capital.

    The traditional curtain-raiser for the new tennis season takes place at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City between 31 December and 2 January, gathering sports fans for three days of spectacular tennis action with a star-studded line-up all ready to get their 2016 campaigns underway in emphatic fashion.

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    For Tsonga, it feels almost like coming home: “I love coming to Abu Dhabi and I was sad to miss out last year due to an unfortunate injury. The atmosphere is always amazing and it’s really competitive with such good players in the line-up every year.

    "Hopefully I can get the new season off to a good start in Abu Dhabi and show the fans that I appreciate their support.”

    Tsonga is no stranger to momentous sporting occasions, having won 12 career titles and represented his country both at the London 2012 Olympics and at the prestigious Davis Cup this year.

    In Abu Dhabi the 30-year-old will join superstars Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Milos Raonic, Kevin Anderson and Stan Wawrinka.

    The latter’s achievement from 2014, where the Swiss ace went on to win the Australian Open some 25 days after having competed in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, is something which inspires Tsonga: “I think that just shows how important the Abu Dhabi tournament is.

    "Whoever can find their form early enough will be off to a good start ahead of the season’s first Grand Slam tournament in Australia, and for me the Mubadala World Tennis Championship is a unique opportunity to get off to a flyer in 2016.”

    Tennis fans across the UAE can expect some tantalizing showdowns during the three-day tennis championship in the capital, and already in the opening match there is a mouth-watering tie with Jo-WIlfried Tsonga facing David Ferrer.

    The winner will have to overcome Rafael Nadal in the semi-final to go on for this chance to win the coveted Mubadala World Tennis Championship trophy and the $250,000 cash prize.

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