The Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships is just around the corner, and the excitement is palpable at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Stadium. Glossy cut-outs of World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic welcome visitors to the venue, while maintenance staff is busy fixing banners for sponsors such as JP Morgan, EA7, Emirates, and Rolex.
The women’s WTA 1000 event, scheduled from 19th to 25th February 2023, will be followed immediately by the men’s ATP 500 tournament from 27th February to 4th March. The tournament owners and organizers, Dubai Duty-Free, have been busy preparing for months to ensure a memorable event for players, guests, colleagues, and spectators.
The tournament will feature 17 of the world’s top 20 women players, including Aryna Sabalenka, who won her maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open last month. She is already practicing on Centre Court with Leyla Fernandez, the Canadian ranked World No. 39. The women’s tournament is expected to be a fierce competition, with five Grand Slam winners on the field.
As the only event wholly owned and organized by Dubai Duty-Free, the company has mobilized a 240-person team consisting mainly of in-house staff, with a further 80 security personnel contracted for the two weeks to ensure the safety of all players and visitors. The adjoining Jumeirah Creekside Hotel will be home to the elite field of men and women flying in from around the world, as well as a host of coaches, masseuses, physiotherapists, sports psychologists, WTA and ATP staff, and special guests.
Among the new features of the tournament are expanded, two-story management offices, a plush new red carpet inside the Royal Box, an upgraded LED leaderboard and official rankings table outside The Majlis, and new surfaces on all 10 of the venue’s hardcourts. The nine side courts were resurfaced using DecoTurf acrylic, and Centre Court was left until last, with the five-day process being finalized on 8th February.
The preparations are almost done, and soon it will be time for action. The main draw for the women’s tournament is scheduled for Saturday, which will determine the path to the final for Swiatek and Sabalenka, the World No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Tennis fans are urged to secure their tickets before the draw and experience an award-winning, world-class event that always lives up to its reputation.
“The start of the tournament is fast approaching, which means these final days are some of our busiest,” said Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty-Free, the tournament owners and organizers.
He added, “With the players starting to arrive and all the little finishing touches taking place, you can feel the excitement among our team. Preparations for this started months ago and we have some new features that we are looking forward to our players, guests, colleagues, and spectators experiencing.”
