Dubai: It will be four v five at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships next month. And no, we are not talking rankings here, for neither Novak Djokovic nor Roger Federer is currently that low in the men's pecking order. Those in fact are the number of Dubai titles the top two seeds will be going for respectively, having already proven to be the dominant players in this ATP World Tour 500 tournament that begins on February 27 at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.
Star-studded draw
The Serb has won the title for the past three years and overwhelmed Federer in the final last year. While he will be going for an unprecedented fourth consecutive title - Federer will be going for an unprecedented fifth - even he knows how difficult it will be given the line-up of players this year.
The world number one faces a formidable challenge from a field that includes, besides Federer, talented Scot Andy Murray and Wimbledon semi-finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Other contenders for the title include 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, American number one Mardy Fish and 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro. Add to the fray number 9-ranked Janko Tipsarevic, who is coming off his best ever season in 2011, and there is no easy path to the finals for any of the players.
Djokovic, though, is looking forward to returning to Dubai and is ready to take on all comers.
"Dubai is always a great tournament," he said. "A lot of the players have the same opinion as me. The site is great and I really look forward to coming there," he said.
As for Federer, he finished 2011 with a bang, winning the season-ending ATP World Tour finals in London and is looking forward to playing in his ‘home' tournament, having lived and trained in Dubai for quite some years now. "Over the years it has become one of the most prestigious tournaments to win," he said.
With seven of the world's top 10 men converging on Dubai for the hotly contested title, the fans are in for a treat. "Once again we are thrilled to announce such an incredible line up of stars coming to the Tournament," said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of owners and organisers Dubai Duty Free. "This guarantees that no matter which day or session you attend you can be assured of seeing world-class tennis action in both the men's and women's tournaments," he added.
