December 09, 2015
World number 12 Kevin Anderson will make his Middle Eastern debut at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship later this month off the back of a thrilling season that saw him smash an 18-year record and become the first South African since 1997 to break into the world’s top 10. The South African will be looking for continued success in the new season which for him, starts on December 31st at the season-opening Mubadala World Tennis Championship at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi.
Anderson started 2015 ranked number 16 in the world with hopes of adding more titles to his name and continuing to improve his game. Known for his hard-hitting game, huge serves and a smash shot which flies down at the court from almost 12 feet, Anderson is always seen as a challenge to overcome in any competition. This season, he has seen his best results in terms of winning percentages since 2010 finishing the year on 46-24, and reached his first ever grand slam quarter final in September when he knocked world number 2, Andy Murray, out of the US Open.
Finishing the season an impressive four places higher in the rankings, the statuesque South African ends the year also taking confidence from a stint inside the top 10 in October. He has high hopes ahead of his inaugural Mubadala World Tennis Championship and is excited to experience the action for the first time:
“I can’t wait to be competing at this year’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship and have always wanted to be a part of it. I know all the players really give it their all in Abu Dhabi and I hear the crowds are pretty amazing, so I’m looking forward to experiencing it for the first time.”
“When I turned pro, my aim was to make it into the top 100 in the world and this year I broke into the top 10 which was a massive moment for me. I hope to build on this in 2016 and the chance to play in Abu Dhabi against the top players in the world ahead of the new season will get me in the best possible shape to do so,” he added.
Anderson will open his Abu Dhabi campaign on Day 1 of the tournament when he takes on fellow debutant, Milos Raonic, who will also be keen to impress in front of excited crowds in the capital.
This year’s Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi will run over the New Year, and with all six players coming with their own personal points to prove and the chance to deal with any unfinished business, this will just add to the already thrilling nature of the Mubadala competition and an extra level of excitement to the tournament’s eighth year. Anderson joins Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who have all booked their place in the extremely competitive event which signifies the start of the global tennis season, and often gives tennis fans around the world an early indication to who will be the main players through the year ahead.