Running from February 17 to March 23 at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi, entry numbers have already been encouraging but there’s still time to see for yourself why it’s highly-rated, with registration closing on February 13.
Now in its fifth edition, the event has gone from strength to strength and is now the largest participation-based competition in the region.
Whether you’re an intermediate or an experienced player, there are different categories (singles and doubles) to choose from, with 20 divisions on the agenda ranging from Under-8 to Men’s Veterans 40+.
Last year more than 300 vied for glory and organisers are expecting an even bigger turnout this time round. “The Abu Dhabi Wilson Tennis Cup has been a huge success since it started,” said Barry Bremner, general manager at ZSC.
“I remember the first year was a real challenge to schedule all of the matches because the response far exceeded our initial expectations. Since then we have a much better understanding of the demand for such a tournament and have made arrangements for 500 entries to be accepted.”
Sanctioned by Tennis Emirates, matches will be played in a knockout format on the very same courts that World No1 and two-time Wimbledon winner Andy Murray and 14-time grand slam champion Rafa Nadal played on in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship a few weeks ago.
“Our objective in creating the Abu Dhabi Wilson Tennis Cup is to place a high calibre event in the Abu Dhabi sports calendar which raises the profile of tennis in the UAE,” said Bremner.