ABU DHABI: Just a day after announcing World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz will make his Middle East debut at this year’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship in December, organizers have revealed World No. 3 Casper Ruud will join the Spaniard in making his first appearance in Abu Dhabi.
Ruud is coming off a stellar season in which he made it to two Grand Slam finals and secured three ATP Tour wins. After reaching the French Open final in June, he reached the final of the US Open at Flushing Meadows where he was narrowly beaten in a thrilling match by Alcaraz.
The 23-year-old Norwegian will arrive in the UAE capital aiming for a maiden MWTC title. In securing the World No. 2 ranking last month, he became the highest-ranked Norwegian tennis player in history. He has nine ATP Tour singles career titles and is looking forward to playing on the hard court at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City.
“I’m really looking forward to visiting Abu Dhabi for the first time to contest the Mubadala World Tennis Championship,” said Ruud. “It’s been a tournament on my radar for some time and I know that the level of tennis is going to be of the highest quality. I’m excited to be involved and play in front of my fans over there in the UAE.”
John Lickrish, CEO, Flash Entertainment, added: “We are delighted to confirm Casper Ruud will be contesting this year’s Championship. To have the World No. 1 and No. 3, and the next generation of tennis superstars, is a real coup for the UAE capital and shows the popularity of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. Just last month, these two players were contesting the final of the US Open and now there is every chance they could face each other in Abu Dhabi. That is what we are always looking to produce — an event featuring the very best.”
Ruud, Alcaraz, and female pair Ons Jabeur and Emma Raducanu will be joined by four remaining male players in the event’s star-studded line-up, with one more being announced tomorrow.
Celebrating its 14th edition this year, the MWTC will take place from Dec. 16-18 at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City. As well as witnessing a field comprising six of the world’s top male players, the two female players will face off on the opening day.
