Stage set for inaugural edition of World Tennis League

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Eighteen of the world’s top stars, including one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, Novak Djokovic, will battle it out to become the first winners of the World Tennis League (WTL) when the action gets under way at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Monday.

The inaugural edition of the World Tennis League will not only showcase many of the best men and women players in the world, but will also offer a fun-filled format featuring epic two-set battles across both singles and mixed doubles matches, with a 10-point tie-breaker set to decide the final outcome if needed.

The six-day tournament will conclude on Sunday, and fans will see their favourite players in action and can then also enjoy post-match concerts from six award-winning acts; Tiesto, Deadmau5, Wizkid, Armin van Buuren, Mohamed Ramadan, and Ne-Yo.

Four franchise-owned teams, comprising two men and two women players, are in the fray.

The four teams who will compete for the title are: The Falcons: Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Aryna Sabalenka, and Paula Badosa.

The Hawks: Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Elena Rybakina, and Annett Kontaveit. The Kites: Felix Auger Aliassime, Gael Monfils, Iga Swiatek, Sania Mirza, and Eugenie Bouchard. The Eagles: Nick Kyrgios, Rohan Bopanna, Caroline Garcia, Bianca Andreescu, and Andreas Seppi.

"The World Tennis League promises a memorable experience for everyone who attends the Greatest Show On Court, and the four teams are certain to provide excitement and thrills galore as they each fight it out for the right to be crowned champions," said Scott Davidoff, the CEO of the WTL.

"And what better combination can there be, with award-winning entertainers following on-court tennis action to round out each day in style."

Badosa, a former French Open junior champion competing in the WTL after climbing to number two in the world during 2022, is excited to be a part of the new concept.

"There's no doubt that this new event is exciting," said Badosa, a member of team Falcons.

"I have been living in Dubai for the past year. I love Dubai as it is my favourite city in the world, and I feel amazing here and enjoy the facilities," said Badosa, who is currently training at the Dubai Police Officers Club.

"I’m really looking forward to playing on a strong team alongside Novak and Grigor Dimitrov," she added.

Sabalenka, Badosa's close friend, expressed similar sentiments.

"I really like team competitions, so I’m super excited about this event," she said.

"It’s something that tennis needed. It’s going to be a lot of fun and a lot of high-level tennis."

Filippo De Rosa, HonorFX CEO, said: "We are honoured and proud to welcome Djokovic, alongside world class players Dimitrov, Sablenka, and Badosa, to our Falcons team.

"We are delighted to be a part of the inaugural edition of the World Tennis League, the perfect way to connect with our community of traders internationally."

Taking part alongside Djokovic will be Alexander Zverev, who by reaching the 2022 French Open semi-finals climbed to No. 2 in the world; Felix Auger-Alliassime, who as one of the most talented young players on the ATP Tour has been rewriting the history books of Canadian tennis; and Nick Kyrgios, one of the most colourful characters in the game and runner-up to Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final.

Joining them will be former world No. 3 and 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem, who is working his way back up the rankings after suffering a severe wrist injury.

The women’s line-up is just as impressive, headed by dominant world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek, who this year has been setting new records on the WTA Tour.

Joining Swiatek is Anett Kontaveit, winner of six WTA titles, with another 10 runner-up trophies and the first Estonian to participate in the WTA Championships where she went all the way to the 2021 final; Bianca Andreescu, the highest-ranked female Canadian in history, who became the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title at the 2019 US Open and the first player to win a Grand Slam singles title as a teenager since Maria Sharapova in 2006.

Crowd favourite Sania Mirza, the first woman from her country to win a WTA singles title and the first Indian woman to win a Grand Slam title, is also part of the line-up.