Rafael Nadal is officially headed back to the UAE.
The Spanish ace will will return to Abu Dhabi at the 13th Mubadala World Tennis Championship this December. He’ll be aiming to defend his title and make it six victories at the long-running event held in the UAE’s capital.
Nadal’s legacy is already cemented—he’s the joint record holder for most male Grand Slam titles, with Abu Dhabi set to begin his 2022 campaign in his 11th appearance at the event, set for 16 to 18 December at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City.
The event, which returns this year with full stadium capacity, now includes two of the world’s top ten and four of the world’s top 20 male players.
The World No. 5 Spanish ace joins Casper Ruud (No. 8), Dominic Thiem (No. 12) and Denis Shapovalov (No. 19) for a series of elimination matches,
They will be joined by US Open women’s champion Emma Raducanu who will be taking on Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner Belinda Bencic, in a repeat of the US Open quarter-finals, which Raducanu won in straight sets on her way to the title.
“Abu Dhabi is a special place for me, a place where I have been many times and where I started my seasons many times,” said the Nadal, who has returned to full training following foot injury that has kept him away from the courts for months.
“Ever since I first came to Abu Dhabi, I’ve had a great response from the fans and I am sure the atmosphere is going to be special as always.”
“Rafael Nadal and the Mubadala World Tennis Championship go hand in hand, so we’re extremely pleased that the player with the most appearances at our Championship has declared himself fit to continue his remarkable run in Abu Dhabi,” John Lickrish, CEO of Flash Entertainment, the tournament owners, said.
“The fact he has only missed two of the past 12 editions is testament to the endearing appeal of the event, and Abu Dhabi as a host of major sporting events. We strive to deliver the best and securing the champion is confirmation of that. We now have a stellar line-up, with two more world-class announcements to come, so I urge fans to buy their tickets now to make sure they don’t miss out.”