The 14th Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) recently took place in Abu Dhabi, attracting thousands of spectators and showcasing top-quality tennis and entertainment. The three-day event ended with Stefanos Tsitsipas being crowned the new champion after defeating Andrey Rublev in a thrilling final match. This year’s MWTC featured a special moment when Ons Jabeur became the first woman to win back-to-back MWTC titles, defeating Emma Raducanu in the process.
The MWTC is one of the most highly anticipated events on the region’s sporting and social calendar, and this year’s edition did not disappoint. The final match between Tsitsipas and Rublev was a highly competitive and entertaining match that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Tsitsipas dominated the first set, breaking Rublev’s serve in the first game and continuing to play aggressively throughout the set. Despite this, Rublev refused to go down without a fight and managed to take the second set after breaking Tsitsipas’ serve in game 10. The final set was equally intense, with both players showing their skills and determination. In the end, it was Tsitsipas who came out on top, breaking Rublev’s serve and maintaining a lead to win the set and the match.
After the match, Tsitsipas expressed his gratitude to the crowd and praised the MWTC for its high-quality competition and the opportunity it provides for players to prepare for the new season. He also praised the Middle East as a great location for hosting major tennis events. Rublev, the outgoing champion, also praised the MWTC and expressed his happiness at being able to play in Abu Dhabi in front of the supportive crowd.
“I would just like to thank everyone for coming out to support us, especially knowing there was a World Cup final happening a bit latter, we really appreciate the support. It was great to get three matches in here this week and search for some big preparation for the coming season. Andrey is a great competitor, and we had a great match,” said Tsitsipas as he collected the new championship trophy.
“What we as players are trying to do is unite people, bring them together through tennis. I’m really happy to be playing in the Middle East; I’ve said before we should be playing more tennis events here. It’s the perfect location and can host big events.”
Outgoing champion Rublev added: “What we are looking for here is to play these matches at a great level ahead of the new season against some good players and that’s what we had. It was a great tournament and I’m always happy to be here. It’s been a pleasure to be back in Abu Dhabi playing in front of you guys.”
It was a fitting finale to a week in which World No. 2 Ons Jabeur made history in becoming the first woman to win back-to-back MWTC titles following her victory over British No. 1 and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu.
Tsitsipas as presented with the iconic Mubadala World Tennis Championship trophy by HH Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mabarak Al Nahyan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, in the presence of Sheikh Suhail Bin Butti Al Maktoum, Executive Director of the Sports Development Sector at the General Sports Authority, HE Homaid Al Shimmari, Deputy Group CEO Mubadala Investment Company, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Bin Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan.
“On behalf of Mubadala, I’m delighted to have witnessed another successful Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The 14th edition of the event saw global tennis stars come to Abu Dhabi for the highly anticipated event, inspiring the community to pursue a healthy lifestyle in line with our mandate to make a positive impact. Thank you to our partners and stakeholders for helping bring this event, one of the world’s most important platforms for the sports sector, to life in Abu Dhabi,” said Homaid Al Shimmari, Deputy Group CEO and Chief Corporate & Human Capital Officer, Mubadala
“It’s been another incredible year of collaboration and commitment from our partners, players and fans, which underlines why the Mubadala World Tennis Championship is one of the of the region’s most anticipated events on both the UAE and regional sporting calendars. With one of the strongest fields in the event’s 14-year history we’ve been treated to three days of amazing tennis action, in addition to exciting entertainment off court, further cementing Abu Dhabi’s ability to host major events. We’ve witnessed history with Ons Jabeur becoming the first woman to win back-to-back MWTC titles. Congratulations to Ons and our 2022 Men’s Champion Stefanos Tsitsipas who delivered some scintillating moments for fans this week. We can’t wait to be back next year for our 15th edition, which we promise will be another unmissable experience, said John Lickrish, CEO, Flash Entertainment.
Earlier in the day, Casper Ruud sealed third place at his maiden MWTC with a commanding 6-1,6-4 victory over World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz, who was making his regional debut.
“The first match didn’t go my way, but I performed well in today’s game. I’m having a longer season in comparison to others as I’ll be taking some time off after Australia so events such as these have really helped me work on my game and get me ready to perform on the big stage,” said Ruud.
