It seems more and more that the Middle East will become the key area for the start of the new season. After the Australian Open was postponed for 3 weeks, a huge hole opened in the calendar in January. It seems that the Emirates will take over our beloved sport during this period. Dubai or Doha are rumored to stage an important WTA event in January, and there could be space for an ATP tournament to take place. In the meantime, it was confirmed that the prestigious Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi will be played next week.
Will Nadal, Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas play?
While the line-up still needs to be confirmed. However, it is legit to expect the presence of top players such as Rafael Nadal (5 times champion), Novak Djokovic (4 times champion) and Stefanos Tsitsipas are going to play. Still, the line-up needs to be confirmed.
Rafael Nadal in 2020
Currently the world no.2, Nadal played his last match on the 21st of November when he surrendered to Daniil Medvedev 3-6 7-64 6-3 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At the moment, during this season Nadal has managed to achieve a composed 27-7 win-loss record. Rafael has won 2 titles in 2020 in Acapulco and at the French Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2020
Ranked no.6, Stefanos played his last match on the 19th of November when he lost to Rafael Nadal 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At the moment, during this season Stefanos owns an overall 27-14 match record. Stefanos has won 1 title in Marseille. Tsitsipas was the runner-up in Dubai and in Hamburg.
Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas fought against each other 7 times. Their head to head is 6-1 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they played, Rafael Nadal won 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the round robin in London (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 19th of November 2020.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Novak Djokovic in 2020
Now ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 21st of November when he was overcome by Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-710 7-65 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
Currently, during this year Novak has a 41-5 match record. Novak conquered 4 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open, in Dubai, in New York and in Rome. Djokovic was the runner-up at the French Open.
