Abu Dhabi: Twenty-four of the region’s most promising young tennis players secured their chance to play with the world’s best after winning their age categories at the Mubadala Community Cup, the region’s largest amateur tennis tournament, last weekend.
The Mubadala Community Cup sees 320 aspiring tennis players aged eight and over compete each year for exclusive spots at player clinics with stars of the annual Mubadala World Tennis Championship, which will be held at Zayed Sports City, December 29-31.
This year’s winners will receive invites to the exclusive player coaching clinics with players from a stellar line-up which includes World No. 1 Andy Murray, 14-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, World No. 3 Milos Raonic, David Goffin, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych.
Last weekend, nine age-group champions, finalists and raffle draw winners secured their spots on the court with the stars.
Under-14s champion Aman Anwar, said: “My brother and I have played in this competition for the past few years. I’ve been the runner up twice before, so this is the first time I’ve won. I’m excited to play on court with one of the tournament’s players. If I could choose, it would be Nadal.”
Under-14s runner up William Goddard added: “This is my fourth time in the Mubadala Community Cup and I also won the Skills Challenge last year. I’ve been to watch the tournament a few times — I met Tsonga once and he was really fun to play with. I’ll definitely be there this year.”
Saoud Karmastaji, assistant Manager, group communications, Mubadala, said: “Through our programmes and partnerships, we aim to support the development of a well-rounded generation. As tennis talent in the region continues to grow, so does the Mubadala Community Cup. I am confident that the levels of skill on display this year from emerging tennis talent will be even better than last year — testament to the success of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship community outreach initiatives. Our hope is to one day see a local star compete amongst the world’s best at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.”
The upcoming ninth edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship features one of the strongest line-ups to date with six of the world’s top 12 players all vying for glory in the capital. Tickets for the annual tennis season opener are available at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE, or by calling 800 TM UAE (86 823) or +971 4 3662289 for International calls.
