The latest of yet another extravagant tennis exhibition tournament will kickstart the festive season in the Middle East as Dubai hosts the inaugural World Tennis League. The event, dubbed the “Greatest Show On Court,” will run from December 19-24 featuring 18 players. So let us take a closer look at match details, format, and players involved.
When does the tournament start?
The World Tennis League will commence on Monday, 19th December. It will be played on hard courts at the lavishly-constructed Coca-Cola Arena which has a capacity of converging up to 17,000 fans. Tickets won’t come cheap with a season pass costing upwards of $400.
Who will be playing?
It is a mixed-gender tennis tournament that brings 18 of the very best tennis players, including 21-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic and WTA #1 Iga Swiatek. Four franchised-owned teams will play each other in a round-robin format, with the top-two scoring teams facing off for the championship on Saturday.
Teams
Eagles: Nick Kyrgios, Caroline Garcia, Bianca Andreescu, Rohan Bopanna, Andreas Seppi
Falcons: Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka, Grigor Dimitrov, Paula Badosa
Hawks: Alexander Zverev, Elena Rybakina, Dominic Thiem, Anett Kontaveit
Kites: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Iga Swiatek, Holger Rune, Sania Mirza, Eugenie Bouchard
Tournament format
Each team will consist of at least four players. There will be a singles men’s and women’s match, and a mixed-doubles match each day between the two teams. Matches will be best-of-three contests with a 10-point tiebreak for the third set.
Day 1: Kites vs Eagles
Day 2: Falcons vs Hawks
Day 3: Falcons vs Eagles
Day 4: Hawks vs Kites
Day 5: Eagles vs Hawks
Day 6: Falcons vs Kites
Day 7: Final (TBC)
What the players have said
Djokovic, who is the biggest star attraction during the week, could not contain his delight. In an Instagram post, the Serbian star said, “Hello, tennis fans around the world. A big tennis event is coming up in Dubai — World Tennis League.
“I’m very excited to be a part of the league for the first time along with my teammates from Team Falcons–Grigor Dimitrov, Aryna Sabalenka, and Paula Badosa. I’m looking forward to sharing some great moments with you guys on the court and off the court as well.”
Djokovic is slated to play Australia’s Nick Kyrgios on day two of the event. And the Aussie is keen to atone for his Wimbledon loss in July. Kyrgios said, “I cannot wait to be part of the WTL. The team that has my eye is definitely Novak and the Falcons. I can’t wait to come against them and I can guarantee an Eagles win. But for now, all tie.”
Main Photo from Getty.
