Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP.
Few times an exhibition tournament has generated so much interest: the Abu Dhabi event, which is not part of the official circuits (ATP and WTA) and starts this Thursday, will mark the beginning of the 2018 tennis season and will allow, above all, to see in action again, months later, Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic.
The 36-year-old American player, former world number 1 and winner of 23 Grand Slam tournaments, has not competed since April due to her pregnancy. She gave birth to little Alexis Olympia in September and announced her return in the Emirati capital this Sunday. She is currently ranked 22nd in the world after her long absence.
Her comeback match will be on Saturday against Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, winner of the last Roland Garros. It will be the first encounter between them.
That match will also mark the entry of women into this exhibition tournament, previously exclusive for men.
The other great return expected in Abu Dhabi is that of Serbian Novak Djokovic. The former world number 1, who is now ranked 12th in the ATP ranking, has not played since Wimbledon due to a problem in his right elbow, which led him to end his 2017 season prematurely.
"I'm really looking forward to getting back into competition (...) It hasn't been easy for me to be absent for so long," said the 30-year-old player on Tuesday to Sport360.
- Without Nadal or Wawrinka -
The lineup of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship could have been even more attractive if it hadn't been for the withdrawal of Spanish Rafael Nadal, who finished 2017 at the top of the world rankings. Nadal had to retire from the Masters in London, his last commitment of the season, due to a knee injury.
The Spanish tennis player announced that he was postponing the start of his 2018 campaign due to a delay in his preparation. He will be replaced in Abu Dhabi by another Spanish player, Roberto Bautista (20th in the world).
The presence of Stan Wawrinka in the United Arab Emirates was also initially planned. With knee pain, the Swiss player has not played since the first round of Wimbledon.
"I'm still not able to play at that level," said the 9th world-ranked player on December 20th.
The competition in Abu Dhabi will begin on Thursday with a match between Spanish Pablo Carreño (10th in the world) and South African Kevin Anderson (14th), followed by a match between Roberto Bautista and Russian Andrey Rublev (39th). Djokovic and Austrian Dominic Thiem (5th) will make their tournament debut on Friday.
The first major event of the 2018 season will not be long to come, starting on January 15th at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.