Tennis may remain dormant until the start of the new season later this month, but some of the sport’s biggest names will be in action this week. Women’s World No.1 Iga Swiatek, World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, and World No.4 Elena Rybakina are all competing in the World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi. This mixed-gender event will also feature some of the biggest names in men’s tennis, World No.3 Daniil Medvedev, World No.5 Andrey Rublev, and World No.6 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The World Tennis League’s second season will take place from December 22 to 24, 2023. The showcase competition, which features some of the sport’s top names, is back after a triumphant debut last year. The tournament has gathered 16 well-known names and divided them into four teams of four this time. They’ll compete against each other in the round-robin round format that consists of one men’s singles match, one women’s singles match, and a mixed doubles match. Following the round-robin phase, the top two teams will face off in the final on December 24, Sunday.
Aryna Sabalenka, the current Australian Open champion, and Greek top-seed Tsitsipas make up Team Kites. Grigor Dimitrov and Paula Badosa will join them. Pole star Swiatek and her countryman Hubert Hurkacz lead Team Hawks, with Casper Ruud and Caroline Garcia rounding out the lineup. Team Falcons consists of world No.9 Taylor Fritz, 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina, 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez, and Sumit Nagal.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion leads Team Eagles. The squad also includes 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin, Russian Rublev, and emerging teen star Mirra Andreeva. The previous edition featured Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam winner, and 2022 Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios. This time, the two aren’t competing. Despite the absence of the sport’s most renowned name in the shape of the Serb, the tournament isn’t short in star power.
Although it is an exhibition event, players are expected to put their best foot forward. The new ATP and WTA tour seasons will begin in a few days. This gives the players a fantastic opportunity to test their game level ahead of their campaign in the lead-up to the Australian Open, which will be played in January 2024.
After seeing what the players experienced last year, I’m delighted to be joining this season of the World Tennis League. I’ve played several times in the UAE and always enjoy coming back, and I’m aiming to finish this year on a positive note there, said Medvedev.
