WORLD-CLASS TENNIS MEETS INTERNATIONAL MUSIC STARS: FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER THE WORLD TENNIS LEAGUE takes PLACE AT THE COCA COLA ARENA IN DUBAI FROM 19TH TO 24TH DECEMBER 2022 AND brings TOGETHER SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST TENNIS PLAYERS AND INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED ENTERTAINERS. FOUR TEAMS OF ELITE PLAYERS, INCLUDING NOVAK DJOKOVIC, NICK KYRGIOS AND RECORD-BREAKING WORLD NUMBER ONE IGA ŚWIĄTEK, COMPETE AGAINST EACH OTHER OVER SIX DAYS – in DOUBLES AND SINGLES MATCHES. AFTER THE TENNIS MATCHES, VISITORS can enjoy top ENTERTAINMENT FROM INTERNATIONAL MUSIC STARS SUCH AS TIESTO, NE-YO, WIZKID, DEADMAU5, MOHAMED RAMADAN AND ARMIN VAN BUUREN.
THE SYSTEM:
This is how the World Tennis League game format works:There are three matches in each of the six sessions, featuring a mixed doubles, a women’s singles and men’s singles. Teams get one point for each game they win, plus five bonus points for winning most games in a match. One point wins the game at deuce, there is no advantage scoring, and if sets are one set each a super tiebreak is played, first to 10. That tiebreak can be won by a single point margin. Finally, the team manager can call one timeout in each set.
THE TEAMS:
THE FALCONS:
- Paula Badosa
- Novak Djokovic
- Grigor Dimitrov
- Aryna Sabalenka
THE EAGLES:
- Nick Kyrgios
- Bianca Andreescu
- Andrew Seppi
- Caroline Garcia
- Rohan Bopanna
THE HAWKS:
- Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
- Alexander Zverev
- Dominic Thiem
- Elena Rybakina
THE KITES:
- Iga Swiątek
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Eugenie Bouchard
- Holger Rune
- Sebastian Ofner
- Sania Mirza
DAY 1 World Tennis League
TENNIS AT ITS BEST IN DUBAI! THE KITES BECAME THE FIRST TEAM TO CLAIM VICTORY ON THE OPENING NIGHT OF THE WORLD TENNIS LEAGUE. BUT THE START OF THE TENNIS EVENT NOT ONLY HAD A LOT TO OFFER IN TERMS OF SPORT, BUT ALSO MUSICALLY…
On the opening night of the World Tennis League, the Kites triumphed with a 35-27 win over the Eagles. The crowd couldn’t stay in their seats as Nick Kyrgios opened the game with an ace in doubles with Bianca Andreescu. After a comfortable opening set for the Eagles, things tightened in the second set and only a break on serve from Eugenie Bouchard gave the Eagles a 5-3 lead. In the end, Holger Rune and Eugenie Bouchard were beaten 6:2, 6:3 by their opponents Nick Kyrgios and Bianca Andreescu. The second game of the night saw the Eagles’ youngest WTA Finals winner Caroline Garcia meet world number one, WTA Player of the Year and ITF World Champion Iga Świątek. In a high profile fight it was Świątek who took a well deserved 6:3, 6:4 victory – so it was initially a draw between the Kites and the Eagle. The decisive match between Nick Kyrgios and Felix Auger-Aliassime also provided a lot of entertainment, as Auger-Aliassime fought back brilliantly after a small slump in the first three games and grabbed the first set 7:5. A 3:2 break was then enough to secure a 7:5-6:3 triumph for Auger-Aliassime and thus also a 2:1 victory for the Kites. The team was able to celebrate their victory of the day together with the fans at a gig by Dutch DJ and Grammy award winner Tiesto, who, after a short conversion of the location after the matches, made the Coco Cola Arena tremble.
“This is the best kind of pre-season anyone could ask for. I love playing in team events. You rarely get that under the year. It is fun. It’s definitely an experience.”
Nick Kyrgios, ATP 22
DAY 2 World Tennis League
ON AN EXCITING SECOND NIGHT OF THE WORLD TENNIS LEAGUE, THE HAWKS STAGED A STUNNING COMEBACK AGAINST THE FALCONS AND AN ABSOLUTE SUPERSTAR OF THE TENNIS WORLD MADE HIS FIRST APPEARANCE ON THE COURT…
On the second night of the World Tennis League, the Hawks made a rapid comeback against the Falcons. The Hawks needed two chances in mixed doubles to win the opening set, with Dominic Thiem failing to serve out the set at 5:4 before Paula Badosa lost serve at 5:5 and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova ended the set instead. Just a break from Thiem’s serve at 1:0 in the second set was enough to give the Falcons the set win. In the super tie-break, the Falcons then took the lead with a commanding 5:0. Then it was the ladies’ turn. Aryna Sabalenka was the hot favorite against her opponent Elena Rybakina, who hadn’t played for over six months due to an injury, and defeated her in the opening set with a clear 6:0. But in a sensational race to catch up, Wimbledon champion Rybakina won the second set 6:1 and then defeated her opponent in the super tie-break with 10:6. After that, superstar Novak Djokovic (Falcons) intervened in the tournament for the first time. His opponent Alexander Zverev (Hawks) got nervous at the beginning and started the game with three double faults. The result: an early break in the first set, which he immediately equalized and won the set 6:3. After an early mutual break in the second set, Zverev broke again to lead 3:2 and triumphed 6:4 in the end. The German celebrated his victory with his family at the subsequent gig of Nigerian superstar Wizkid, who among other songs played his No. 1 hit “One Dance”.
“The atmosphere is amazing. I have missed playing in front of this kind of crowd in this kind of stadium. I knew that I had to play the best tennis that I played in the last seven months.”
Alexander Zverev, ATP 12
DAY 3 World Tennis League
HALFTIME AT THE WORLD TENNIS LEAGUE! THE EAGLES WERE ABLE TO COLLECT MORE POINTS THAN THEIR OPPONENTS AND TOOK THE LEAD ON WEDNESDAY. BESIDE THE COURT, THE AUDIENCE COULD LOOK FORWARD TO R&B AT ITS FINEST…
Day 3 of the World Tennis League featured Grigor Dimitrov and Aryna Sabalenka for the Falcons in mixed doubles against Bianca Andreescu and Rohan Bopanna for the Eagles, with the Eagles easily winning the opening set. The highlight of the second set was a stunning rally that ended with Andreescu hitting a crosscourt backhand winner to keep the Eagles 3:2 ahead. The Falcons broke their opponent’s serve to make it 4:3 when Andreescu lost serve two games later. The set then went into a tie-break, which the Falcons won 7:4. The Falcons eventually won the super tiebreak 10:7. In the women’s game, Caroline Garcia triumphed in the first set for the Eagles over the Falcons’ Paula Badosa. Both players broke each others serve in the first two sets before at 5:4 Badosa hit a double fault to lose serve for the second time and gift the Eagles the set. The second set followed a similar pattern before Garcia got the upper hand and won 6:3. Dimitrov returned to the court for the men’s singles to face Nick Kyrgios after Novak Djokovic pulled out of the match. However, the 21-time Grand Slam winner cheered on his teammates from the bench. The match was extremely tight in the first set and went into the tie-break, which Dimitrov finally won 7:6. The Bulgarian also triumphed in the second set with 6:3. Afterwards, R&B singer Ne-Yo heated up the audience with his performance on stage.
“The most important thing for me is that I had a lot of fun on and off the court. I really enjoyed it. I had great teammates. I hope that we will get together again next year.”
Paula Badosa, ATP 22
DAY 4 World Tennis League
IT GOT PRETTY EXCITING ON THE FOURTH DAY OF THE WORLD TENNIS LEAGUE. THE TOP PLAYERS DELIVERED GRIPPING MATCHES AND EXTREMELY CLOSE FIGHTS, IN WHICH THE KITES ENDED UP JUST AHEAD OF THE HAWKS BY A HAIR’S BREADTH…
In the opening game, the Hawks’ Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina met the Kites’ Sania Mirza and Felix Auger-Aliassime. There was only one break point in the first set up to 5:5, but then Rybakina broke Mirza’s serve, allowing her to bring the first set home for the Hawks 7:5. In the second set, the Kites turned the game and won 6:3. In the super tiebreak, the Hawks had a 10:5 lead. In the women’s duel that followed, Iga Świątek was the clear favorite against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who missed most of the 2022 season due to a knee injury. However, shortly before her injury, she was on a career high of 11 and should not be underestimated. After falling 2:0 down, she bounced back to press Świątek. She broke the serve of her opponent to get a 5: 3 lead, but Świątek equalized and took the set 6:4. Despite her disappointment, Pavlyuchenkova kept her composure in the second set and broke Świątek’s serve to take a 2:1 lead. However, they equalized again and won the second set 6:3. Auger-Aliassime, who recently led Canada to their first-ever Davis Cup final victory, returned to the court to take on Dominic Thiem. The entire match was balanced, but Auger-Aliassime ended up dominating the tie-break of the first set 7:2. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Auger-Aliassime trailing in the tie-break before securing victory with the deciding point at 6:6. Afterwards the players celebrated at the gig of Canadian DJ Deadmau5.
“It was a great atmosphere out there. It’s my first time playing in this team format and I’m really enjoying it. It’s a different experience.”
Caroline Garcia, WTA 4
DAY 5 World Tennis League
THE SPECTATORS COULD EXPERIENCE TWICE THE TENNIS ACTION ON THE PENULTIMATE DAY OF THE WORLD TENNIS LEAGUE. ALL FOUR TEAMS COMPETED FOR THE COVETED FINAL TICKETS, WHICH THE HAWKS AND THE KITES ULTIMATELY WON…
On Day 5 there were six games on the schedule. First the Eagles started against the Falcons and got off to a good start in doubles with Nick Kyrgios and Bianca Andreescu against Dominic Thiem and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova from the Hawks with 6:4, 4:6 and 10:7. The match between reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and recent WTA Finals winner Caroline Garcia ended in a 7:5, 6:1 win for Rybakina. In the first men’s match of the day, Andreas Seppi stepped in for Nick Kyrgios (Eagles). On the other side of the net: Alexander Zverev from the Hawks, who won the first set 6:4 and also won the second set 6:2. In the next round it was: kites against falcons! In doubles, Holger Rune and Sania Mirza started well for the kites against Falcons’ Grigor Dimitrov and Paula Badosa with a 6:2 win. The Falcons then won the second set 4:6. The kites again won the super tie-break with 10:5. Iga Świątek then demonstrated why she dominated in 2022. She broke Aryna Sabalenka’s serve right at the beginning and won the first set 6:1 and the second set 6:3. In the men’s singles, Novak Djokovic (Falcons) faced Sebastian Ofner, who acted as a substitute for Felix Auger-Aliassime (Kites). Ofner won the first set in the tie-break. The 21-time Grand Slam champion then turned the game around and won the second set 6:0 and the super tie-break 10:7. Music star Mohamed Ramadan provided entertainment after the match.
“It’s been probably the most fun three, four days in row that I’ve had. And I’ve had a long career – but this is as good as it get’s playing some good tennis against the best players in the world and having fun.”
Anett Kontaveit, WTA 2
Tennis talk with Novak Djokovic
…about the experience of playing in a team with your opponents:
“It’s something different and at the same time a great experience. We respect each other and we all get along very well. It’s also an opportunity to get to know each other a little better and to see each other’s game up close.”
…about the upcoming Australian Open:
“I’m just glad to have a chance to start there. My record has been pretty decent over the years in Australia, so I look forward going there. I have been in Dubai for quite some time and it is a fantastic place for tennis players’ pre-season on the way to Australia. Having an event like this, a concept like this, which you normally don’t get to experience, is something very nice. I think, it brings a lot of positive energy and encouragement for all of our individual careers. It allows us also to get to know each other on and of the court a bit more, which is fun.”
…the key to a successful career as a tennis player:
“I don’t think, there is one formular or one secret recepie. There are a lot of things that have to come together. It’s a team, it’s your skills, it’s your dedication to the sport – not just for a month or two but for an entire year. It’s a demanding sport. You’ve gotta change a lot of surfaces, timezones, which puts a lot of weight on your body, and you’ve got to handle that. So I think, figuring things out, what works for you individually, is probably the key. Everyone has a different formular, so it’s hard to pic one thing. If I had to, it would probably be the passion for the game.”
DAY 6 World Tennis League
CRUNCH TIME AT CHRISTMAS EVE! ON THE FINAL DAY THE HAWKS AND THE KITES DELIVERED A BREATHTAKING SHOWDOWN. IN THE END THE HAWKS TRIUMPHED 32 GAMES TO 25 AND CELEBRATED CHRISTMAS EVE IN DUBAI AS THE FIRST WORLD TENNIS LEAGUE WINNERS…
World number one Iga Świątek had been the one to beat all week and hadn’t lost a set by the final. But Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina successfully rose to the challenge, claiming a 6:3, 6:1 win to put the Hawks ahead. The win wasn’t as easy as the result might suggest, especially in the opening set as Rybakina, despite taking a 3:0 lead, always went above and beyond the debut before winning holds. The Kites gained ground as Felix Auger-Aliassime defeated Alexander Zverev 6:4, 6:3 in a hard-fought match. Every player served through the first eight games until Auger-Aliassime took the lead with a break and won the set 6:4. In the second set, Zverev got into trouble when his serve was broken to make it 2:1 and failed to convert a break point to make it 2:2. In the end, Auger-Aliassime was 6:3 ahead. The last match of the competition was a mixed doubles match, in which Holger Rune and Sania Mirza (Kites) played against Dominic Thiem and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Hawks) for the title. Both Mirza and Pavlyuchenkova gave up their first two service games in the first set before the Hawks won 7:4 in the tie-break. Only a break against Mirza in the fourth game decided the second set and confirmed the Hawks as tournament winners. After the trophy was handed over, the audience celebrated the successful start of the World Tennis League to the sound of Dutch star DJ Armin van Buuren!
“I’ve had a lot of fun this week, played some good tennis and look forward to starting in Australia next year.”
Felix Auger-Aliassime, ATP 6
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Photos: © World Tennis League, © NASCH Media
