Later this month, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will host three past champions for the ATP 500 event.
Two-time Wimbledon champion and Olympic gold medallist Andy Murray, will join reigning champion Daniil Medvedev, a recent Australian Open finalist, and 2022 winner Andrey Rublev in the emirate.
Seven years have passed since Murray made his debut in Dubai and became the first British player to win the city’s yearly tennis tournament, two years after his last visit. The tournament’s 32nd edition, which takes place from February 26 to March 2, will see him compete among three of the top 10 ATP players in the globe.
The three-time Grand Slam champion from Scotland, Andy Murray, will make his ninth visit to the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Hubert Hurkacz, ranked eighth in the world and a 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist, will also be a part of the seasoned field.
at contrast, Rublev broke records by winning his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at Monte-Carlo in 2023 and surpassed the 50-win plateau for the third consecutive season. The 26-year-old also won the Bastad trophy after defeating Casper Ruud in straight sets. This is the third time in the last four years that he has won multiple titles at the tour level.
Medvedev will have his eye on more success in Dubai, with Italian sensation Jannik Sinner stunning the Russian with an epic five-set comeback win to clinch his first Grand Slam in Melbourne last month. Medvedev, 27, will be looking to build on a remarkable 2023 season, where he won five titles, reached two Grand Slam finals, and ended the year as World No.3.
“We are thrilled to have three former champions in Andy, Andrey, and Daniil participating, further underlining the regard in which this tournament is held,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free.
Other notable names who will feature in the men’s tournament include last year’s Australian Open semi-finalist and current World No18 Karen Kachanov, five-time ATP Tour singles title winner Adrian Mannarino, currently ranked No17 in the world, and former Wimbledon finalist and Australian Open semi-finalist Milos Raonic.
Salah Tahlak, Joint COO of Dubai Duty Free and Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, added: “We’re delighted to welcome Andy, Andrey, and Daniil back to Dubai this year. They are all extremely popular figures among the tennis fraternity, so having these type of players competing in the tournament is great news for us.”
Meanwhile, a star-studded WTA line up will see 17 of the world’s top 20 players descend upon Dubai for the 24th edition of the WTA Tour tournament – recently awarded permanent WTA 1000 status.
Nine of the world’s top 10 female players will be in the emirate for the latest instalment of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. World No1 Iga Swiatek, World No2 Aryna Sabalenka, fresh from securing her second successive Australian Open crown, and World No3 Coco Gauff lead the impressive pack.
