Novak Djokovic will head an incredible line-up of the world’s best next month when the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships (DDFTC) men’s tournament celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Among those joining the five-time Dubai champion and world number one will be a further eight members of the top 20, presenting an intriguing mix of exciting young talent and experienced veterans, including Dubai 2021 champion Aslan Karatsev, 2021 semi-finalists Andrey Rublev and Denis Shapovalov and former champion Roberto Bautista Agut.

“We are thrilled to welcome so many top players to our 30th year celebrations of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free. “We are delighted to see Novak back in Dubai for the twelfth time when he will be seeking his sixth title and we wish him the best of luck.”

Karatsev has continued to impress following his remarkable run in Dubai, a week that saw him defeat Lloyd Harris to claim the first ATP title of his career. He went on to defeat Novak Djokovic to reach the final in Belgrade, which he surrendered to Matteo Berrettini in a final set tiebreak. Later in 2021 he earned a second career title with victory over Marin Cilic in Moscow, and he began the 2022 season by beating Andy Murray in the Sydney final to win title number three.

Rublev will be among those who, along with Djokovic and Karatsev, will also be a strong contender for the title. Although he fell last year in a thrilling semi-final to fellow Russian and eventual champion Aslan Karatsev, he enjoyed a successful season. After being a member of the victorious Russian team that won the ATP Cup and then claiming the Rotterdam title shortly before arriving in Dubai, he went on to finish as runner-up in Monte Carlo where he earned a rare clay court victory over Rafael Nadal. His 2021 season then finished on a triumphant note as his four wins in five matches guided Russia to victory in the Davis Cup.

Shapovalov last year fell in Dubai to rising star Lloyd Harris, but he can still look back on a wonderful year that saw him reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in a run that included victory over former champion Andy Murray, runner-up finishes in Geneva and Stockholm and a further semi-final at Queens’s Club. He has also begun the 2022 season on a positive note, helping Canada to victory in the ATP Cup.

Among others to watch are another Canadian, current world number nine Felix Auger-Aliassime, Jannik Sinner and the unpredictable and often brilliant Gael Monfils. Auger-Aliassime will be making his Dubai debut after beginning 2022 by entering the world’s top 10 for the first time after his success with compatriot Shapovalov in winning the ATP Cup, and a 2021 season that saw him contest the finals of a pre-Australian Open event in Melbourne and Stuttgart, whilst also reaching the semi-finals of the US Open and the quarter-finals at Wimbledon.

Sinner’s outstanding 2021 season propelled him into the top 10 as he claimed titles in Melbourne, Washington, Sofia and Antwerp as well as a place in the Miami final, before finishing the year with three victories in the Davis Cup. This year he was in-form again as he represented Italy in the ATP Cup, winning all three of his matches to kick off his new season. Monfils is one of the game’s greatest entertainers and he has enjoyed considerable success in Dubai, reaching the semi-finals in 2019 where he fell to Stefanos Tsitsipas in a three-hour thriller that finished in a final set tiebreak, and then again in 2020 when he stretched Djokovic to three sets.

“We can once more look forward to two weeks of fantastic tennis as we not only enjoy the 30th year celebrations of the ATP Tour event, but an incredible line-up of talent in the preceding WTA 500 tournament that features nine of the world’s top 10 and 17 of the top 20 women players, including no less than five previous Dubai winners all returning to one of their favourite tournaments,” said Tournament Director Salah Tahlak.

Tickets for the magnificent tennis extravaganza are on sale online on 27th January 2022 at 9:00am at http://www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com. Prices start at AED 55, and tickets will also be available at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium Box Office from 8th February. Limited tickets will be available, so buy your tickets early.

The tournament begins with the 22nd year of the WTA event which takes place between 14th and 19th February, and then continues between 21st and 26th February with the 30th anniversary staging of the ATP Tour 500 tournament.

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.