Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Daniil Medvedev are among the star names set to feature at the World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi in December.
The tournament will see 16 of the world’s best men's and women's players competing at Yas Island’s Etihad Arena from December 21-24.
Confirmed for this year's competition are women’s World No 1 Sabalenka, alongside world No 2 and four-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek plus the 2022 Wimbledon winner and world No 5 Elena Rybakina.
Sabalenka will be looking to end a superb 2023 that saw her overtake Swiatek at the top of the rankings after winning the Australian Open, reaching the semi-finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, then losing in the US Open final.
“I’m excited to be returning for this season and really looking forward to seeing who I’ll be joining on court at this year’s World Tennis League,” said the Belarusian. “Last year, we had a great time on and off the court, and I’m hoping this will help me to prepare for next season.”
Organisers also confirmed that men's world No 3 and 2021 US Open champion Medvedev, world No 5 and Australian Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, plus world No 6 Andrey Rublev will be appearing.
“After seeing what the players experienced last year, I’m delighted to be joining for this season of the World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi,” said Medvedev, who reached the final of this year's US Open before losing to Novak Djokovic.
“I’ve played several times in the UAE and always enjoy coming back, and I’m aiming to finish this year on a positive note there.”
The top six players are the first to be announced, with the full roster and team line-ups to be confirmed by organisers in the coming weeks.
The format will see the players split into four teams with two matches every day from Day 1 to 3 with categories including men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. The top two teams will play for the chance to be crowned champion on the final day on December 24.
Last year's innaugual tournament in Dubai was one by Team Hawks who included Rybakina and 2020 US Open finalist Alexander Zverev in their ranks.
Coined as the ‘Greatest Show on Court’, the unique sports and entertainment spectacle will also feature three nights of concerts from some of the top global music stars including 50 Cent, Akon and Ne-Yo.
Rajesh Banga, Chairman of World Tennis League, said: “This year’s player draw featured an exceptional roster of Grand Slam champions, and ATP and WTA title winners, and we are thrilled that Aryna, Iga, Elena, Daniil, Stefanos and Andrey will be joining us for this enticing showdown in December.”
“This season is set to bring some thrilling moments on court, and with world-class tennis action alongside the event’s evening concerts featuring award-winning artists, we encourage people to purchase their tickets now for an unmissable spectacle.”
Tickets are on sale via the Etihad Arena website as well as Platinum List and Virgin Megastores. You can find more details on etihadarena.ae.
For more information on the World Tennis League, visit: https://www.worldtennisleague.com/
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
