DUBAI: Novak Djokovic will head a strong line-up of the world’s best next month when the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships men’s tournament celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Among those joining the five-time Dubai champion and world No. 1 will be a further eight members of the top 20, presenting an intriguing mix of exciting young talent and experienced veterans, including Dubai 2021 champion Aslan Karatsev, 2021 semifinalists Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov, and former champion Roberto Bautista Agut.

Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of Dubai Duty Free, said: “We are thrilled to welcome so many top players to our 30th-year celebrations of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. We are delighted to see Novak back in Dubai for the 12th time when he will be seeking his sixth title and we wish him the best of luck.”

Karatsev has continued to impress following his remarkable run in Dubai, a week that saw him defeat Lloyd Harris to claim the first Association of Tennis Professionals title of his career. He went on to defeat Djokovic to reach the final in Belgrade, which he surrendered to Matteo Berrettini in a final-set tiebreak. Later in 2021, he earned a second career title with victory over Marin Cilic in Moscow and began the 2022 season by beating Andy Murray in the Sydney final to win title number three.

Rublev will be among those who, along with Djokovic and Karatsev, will also be a strong contender for the title. Although he fell last year in a thrilling semifinal to fellow Russian and eventual champion Karatsev, he enjoyed a successful season.

After being a member of the victorious Russian team at the ATP Cup and then claiming the Rotterdam title shortly before arriving in Dubai, he went on to finish as runner-up in Monte Carlo where he earned a rare clay court victory over Rafael Nadal. His 2021 season then finished on a triumphant note as his four wins in five matches guided Russia to victory in the Davis Cup.

Shapovalov last year fell in Dubai to rising star Harris, but he can still look back on a wonderful year that saw him reach the Wimbledon semifinals in a run that included victory over former champion Murray, runner-up finishes in Geneva and Stockholm, and a further semifinal at Queens’s Club. He has also begun the 2022 season on a positive note, helping Canada to victory in the ATP Cup.

Among others to watch are another Canadian, current world No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner, and the unpredictable and often brilliant Gael Monfils.

Auger-Aliassime will be making his Dubai debut after beginning 2022 by entering the world’s top 10 for the first time following his success with compatriot Shapovalov in winning the ATP Cup, and a 2021 season that saw him contest the finals of a pre-Australian Open event in Melbourne and Stuttgart, whilst also reaching the semifinals of the US Open and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

Sinner’s outstanding 2021 season propelled him into the top 10 as he claimed titles in Melbourne, Washington, Sofia, and Antwerp as well as a place in the Miami final, before finishing the year with three victories in the Davis Cup. This year he was in form again as he represented Italy in the ATP Cup, winning all three of his matches to kick off his new season.

Monfils is one of the game’s greatest entertainers and has enjoyed considerable success in Dubai, reaching the semifinals in 2019 where he fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-hour thriller that finished in a final-set tiebreak, and then again in 2020 when he stretched Djokovic to three sets.

Tournament director, Salah Tahlak, said: “We can once more look forward to two weeks of fantastic tennis as we not only enjoy the 30th-year celebrations of the ATP Tour event, but an incredible line-up of talent in the preceding WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) 500 tournament that features nine of the world’s top 10 and 17 of the top 20 women players, including no less than five previous Dubai winners all returning to one of their favorite tournaments.”

The tournament begins with the 22nd edition of the WTA event which takes place between Feb. 14 and 19, and then continues from Feb. 21 to 26 with the 30th anniversary staging of the men’s ATP Tour 500 tournament.