Dubai: Preparations for the 20th Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will step up a gear on Saturday with the draw for the women's event taking place at the Dubai Tennis Stadium.
The likes of world No. 1 and Australian Open winner Victoria Azarenka, Wimbledon Champion Petra Kvitova, US Open Winner Sam Stosur and former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki will all have a glimpse of their fate when the draw takes place at The Majlis at 3pm.
The action gets under way on Monday with the WTA Tour event, while the ATP tournament kicks off on February 27, with Australian Open and reigning Dubai champion Novak Djokovic, four-time Dubai winner Roger Federer and Australian Open semi-finalist Andy Murray all set to appear.
The first ever ball was served in the Dubai Tennis Championships back in 1993 and over the years the tournament has grown to be one of the most popular on the tour. It was in 1992 that Colm McLoughlin, now Executive Vice-Chairman of Dubai Duty Free, and his team had the idea to bring a world class tennis tournament to Dubai. And with the support of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of Dubai Duty Free, this vision became a reality and the ATP Tour came to the emirate.
