Special Features
Dubai Tennis Championship
Dates: Feb 25-March 8 Venue: Dubai Tennis Stadium Four time winners Roger Federer and Justine Henin head an all-star cast for the 2008 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships which includes an incredible nine of the top 10 women and eight of the world’s best men.Federer will be joined by three-time Roland Garros champion and 2006 Dubai winner Rafael Nadal, world number three and 2007 US Open runner-up Novak Djokovic, and 2007 French and US Open semi-finalist Nikolay Davydenko. New faces Andy Roddick and Andy Murray will also add extra spice to the impressive men’s line-up.
In the women’s Henin will battle against 2007 US Open finalist and world number two Svetlana Kuznetsova, super-Serbs Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, glamour queen Maria Sharapova and megastar Serena Williams.
“Dubai is a tournament I love so much,” said Belgian world number one Justine Henin, who has never lost a match in her four visits. “It’s the first I put in my calendar after the French Open. I love to play there, I love the atmosphere and I have Belgian fans who live there so every year it’s like a big party. It’s a great feeling to go back every year.” With all top four-ranked men and women competing, the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships rivals even the Grand Slams for quality, making it unnecessary for tennis fans in the Emirates to travel to London, Paris, Melbourne or New York. Instead, nearly all the top names in the game will be on show at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, making the event the hottest ticket in town.
“We are delighted to welcome the greatest gathering of stars in the history of the tournament who will compete for US$3 million in prize money,” said Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of tournament owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free.
“Having so many of the world’s top players here in Dubai once again distinguishes the two-week Championships as one of the biggest tennis events in the world.” Amin Habib, Managing Director of Barclays UAE and Gulf, added: “Barclays has a strong international brand and we are very excited to be associated with such great champions playing in Dubai. Since its inception the tournament has always attracted the top international players and we are looking forward to seeing more of them this year.” While the award-winning tournament welcomes back many old friends, new additions Andy Roddick and Andy Murray will boost an already stellar field.
Roddick ended the 2007 season by helping his team-mates hoist the prestigious Davis Cup, a perfect end to a year that saw him claim titles at London’s Queens Club and in Washington and reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open and Masters Cup to finish the year ranked number six.
Murray is one of the most charismatic players in the world and began his 2008 season in dynamic fashion as he swept to the title in Doha before embarking on his Australian Open campaign. Melbourne Park was arguably where he came to the attention of the world exactly a year ago when he pushed Nadal to five pulsating sets, staking his claim as a future Grand Slam champion.
Novak Djokovic is another player who set the world alight in 2007, and his success in beating both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal points to him being able to end the stranglehold the top-ranked pair have held on the Dubai title since 2003.
One player who has enjoyed massive success around the world but who has struggled in Dubai is world number four Nikolay Davydenko, and the Russian will be back for a fifth time to try and improve on his stunning second round loss last year to Younes El Aynaoui.
Giant killer Mikael Youzhny returns after proving that his victory over Nadal in Dubai last year was no flash in the pan, after he dropped just one game against the Spaniard in Chennai to begin 2008 by claiming his fourth career title.
Other top players who will bid for one of the most sought-after titles in the game include exciting young Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Spanish pin-up Tommy Ro
Website: http://www.dubaitennischampionships.com
