Andy Murray heads line-up for Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 25th anniversary

The newly-crowned world number one, Sir Andy Murray, is heading to Dubai next month to lead a stellar line-up for one of the most iconic sporting events in the region, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Held under the patronage of Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the tournament, which will take place from 19th February - 4th March, marks its 25th anniversary this year, and the current Wimbledon, Olympic Games and World Tour Finals champion will be on the hunt to add the prestigious Dubai title to his ever increasing list of accolades, titles and honours.

Along with Murray, organisers are delighted to welcome seven-time Dubai champion Roger Federer back to delight the fans. Also in the line-up of top ten players will be Dubai defending champion, winner of three grand slams and world number four, Stan Wawrinka, two time Dubai finalist Tomas Berdych, and world number seven, Gael Monfils.

The women's line-up is equally impressive, with eight of the top ten players heading to Dubai to contest the coveted title. Led by world number one and winner of two grand slams in 2016, Angelique Kerber, the line-up includes 2012 Dubai champion and world number three Agnieszka Radwanska, 2015 Dubai champion and world number four, Simona Halep, 2016 WTA Tour Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova, 2016 US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova, 2016 French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, tour veteran and three-time Dubai finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova, and British hopeful Johanna Konta, who has had a meteoric rise through the rankings in 2016, beginning last year at 47 and finishing in the top ten.

Commenting on this year's event, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free, the tournament owners and organisers, said, "Yet again the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has attracted the best players in the world, including Andy Murray, who has had a tremendous year in 2016 which culminated in a knighthood, so congratulations to Andy. We are looking forward to some thrilling matches and some great entertainment as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the tournament. The top line-ups guarantee world-class tennis on every day of the event."

Tournament Director, Salah Tahlak commented, "This is a special year for us as we celebrate this significant milestone of our 25th anniversary. The line-up is fantastic and we look forward to welcoming all the fans for this year's event and providing some unforgettable action both on and off the court."

Record crowds are expected again to flock to the stadium to witness the spectacular matches, as well as enjoying the packed social programme, which will see Dubai celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Championships in style. The Tennis Village will feature entertainment, music, autograph signings, big screens showing the action live and a host of other events and activities, including Kids' Days, Ladies' Night, and plenty of competitions for fans to win tickets to the finals.

Staged at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Garhoud, the action will commence with the WTA Premier 5 event, followed on 27th February with the ATP World Tour 500 tournament offering a combined prize pool of US$5.2 million.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free.

source: WAM