October 28, 2015
Two-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka will go head to head with fellow top players in Abu Dhabi over the New Year as it was confirmed the Swiss star will return for his fourth outing at the season-opening Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC).
Set to take place from December 31st 2015 until January 2nd 2016 at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, the upcoming edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship looks to be one of the most competitive yet with three players already confirmed as part of the star-studded line-up.
Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal will return to Abu Dhabi alongside superstar newcomer Milos Raonic and Spanish favourite David Ferrer for the landmark eighth installment. With the addition of reigning French and former Australian Open champion, Wawrinka, the competition looks set to be one of the most tightly fought yet.
World number 4 Wawrinka joins the MWTC lineup with experience of using the elite tournament as a strong stepping stone to major success. In 2014 he went on from Abu Dhabi to secure his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. In 2015, after another year at the MWTC, the Swiss quickly picked up victory in the Chennai Open and Rotterdam Open, progressing to the semi-finals of the Australian Open in between. Wawrinka’s season-defining result in 2015 came in June when he claimed his first French Open title at Roland Garros, becoming the first former boys’ champion to win the men’s title since 1982. Most recently Wawrinka secured a straight sets victory in Tokyo, his fourth ATP World Tour title, in what has become the Swiss’ most successful season yet.
Upon confirmation of his return to Abu Dhabi for the upcoming installment of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, Wawrinka commented:
“Abu Dhabi has been really good to me over the years and I’m looking forward to getting back on the court there in front of that excited crowd. The atmosphere is always electric and the conditions are perfect. As is always the case, the lineup is strong and the competition will be tough – but that just means it’s always great entertainment for the fans. It seems to be one of the most competitive line ups yet but that’s exactly what we look for as players; pushing ourselves early so we can start the season strong. The past few years have started very well for me and Abu Dhabi has played a part in that. I’m looking forward to it already.”
The Mubadala World Tennis Championship is entering its eighth year and with four of the world’s top ten players already announced to play, the tournament boasts a thrilling line up of elite talent. A unique combination of a ‘winner-takes-all’ prize of US $250,000 and a championship format paves the way for the world’s best players to battle it out in this ruthless championship that will serve up action-packed thrills from the first point to the last.