New stars to light up Mubadala Tennis

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  • Star man: Rafael Nadal.

    Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray may be missing from the lineup of the upcoming Mubadala World Tennis Championship but Abu Dhabi tennis fans can still look forward to the mouthwatering prospect of a Stan Wawrinka-Rafael Nadal final on January 2, 2016 at Zayed Sports City.

    The draw of the eighth edition of the MWTC was revealed Saturday in a public ceremony at Yas Mall in the presence of 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, who as an ambassador for the tournament, spent hours hitting balls with youngsters on purpose-built courts there.

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    Abu Dhabi debutants, the huge-hitting pair of Milos Raonic and Kevin Anderson will face off on day one on December 31, followed by a clash between world No7 David Ferrer and No10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

    The winner of the Raonic-Anderson showdown will take on world No5 Wawrinka on semi-finals day while Nadal faces the victor from the Ferrer-Tsonga encounter.

    The final takes place on the third day along with a third-place playoff. Should Wawrinka and Nadal get through their semi-finals, the duo could meet in a rematch of the 2014 Australian Open final.

    Cash, who was conducting the draw with the help of young tennis fans at the mall, says he’s very much looking forward to the Raonic and Anderson clash, with both amongst the biggest servers of the game.

    “John McEnroe said Raonic is the greatest server he’s ever seen in his life and I think he’s just about right too,” said the 50-year-old Aussie.

    “Raonic’s serve is phenomenal. And you’ve got Kevin, who is one of the success stories of the men’s circuit. When I first saw him I didn’t think he was going to be much of a player and now he’s in the top-20.

    “Massive serve, big forehand, he’s a very good all-round player, keeps getting better every year and in many ways he’s almost replaced Raonic as the new big-hitting guy on the circuit. Raonic has had a bit of an up and down year with injuries so he’ll be very keen to come back and play well.”

    Djokovic and Murray, ranked No1 and No2 in the world at the moment, have both competed in the last three consecutive MWTC editions but are notable absentees from the upcoming event.

    “It’s always nice to see the world No1 but it’s not to be this year,” said Cash. “But you still have four players in the top 10 and two players just outside the top 10.

    “This event has always had amazing draws and players and that’s the case again. Wawrinka is improving every year. To win the French Open the way he did was amazing.

    “A guy like Djokovic can’t play everything.”

    Greg Sproule, managing director of MWTC organisers IMG Middle East, did not reveal a specific reason for Murray or Djokovic’s absence, but insists this year’s event will provide a fresh new perspective for local tennis fans.

    “I can’t speak for all of the players,” said Sproule regarding the absence of the world’s top two.

    “I think tennis is also shifting and there are some of these younger guys that are coming through, Milos and Kevin being two really great examples, that deserve the limelight.

    “They’ve had great careers. It’s an opportunity to do some things a little bit differently. If we had the same players every year it would be a little bit boring.

    “Some of those players are playing in the UAE, in the region already, and it’s nice to have a different look. All of these guys are phenomenal players. Throughout the year, they’ve pretty much all been within the top 10.”

    As well as providing three days of world-class action in the capital, the tournament aims to leave a legacy for tennis and grow the game through two grassroots programmes, including the Mubadala Tennis in Schools (MTiS).

    The community initiative gives local students aged 7-10 from across all schools in Abu Dhabi the chance to take their first steps in the sport by introducing them to a series of tennis sessions taking place each week at International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City.

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