Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek at World Tennis League, Rafael Nadal v Casper Ruud: Who's playing which exhibition?
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Updated 16/11/2022 at 18:46 GMT
Novak Djokovic and Iga Swiatek will be playing a team exhibition event in Dubai this off-season while Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud meet in South America. The inaugural World Tennis League will feature a number of the world's top players while several others will be playing in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. We look at who is playing where over the off-season.
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The 2022 season is almost in the books (just the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals left outstanding) and players will soon be taking a break before they head to Australia in January.
For some, though, the break will be a short one.
Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and Emma Raducanu are just some of the top-level players who will be jetting around the world over the next six weeks to play exhibition events.
We track who is playing where, including a new team event in Dubai...
World Tennis League
Djokovic and Swiatek are among a host of top players signed up to play at the inaugural World Tennis League in Dubai.
The 18-player event runs from December 19-24 and features round-robin competition. Players have been drawn into four teams of four (Falcons, Eagles, Kites, Hawks) and will play each other in ties that consist of one men’s singles match, one women’s singles match and a mixed doubles match.
Also on the entry list are: WTA Finals champion Caroline Garcia, Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios, Alexander Zverev (injury permitting), world No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime and former US Open champion Dominic Thiem.
The tournament starts with a strong schedule as the first day features Auger-Aliassime against Kyrgios and Swiatek against Garcia.
Following the round-robin phase, the top two teams will face off in the final on Christmas Eve.
“I love the team atmosphere,” said Kyrgios.
“That’s why I am coming to play the WTL. It’s gonna be big.”
The teams are:
- Falcons: Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Aryna Sabalenka, Paula Badosa
- Hawks: Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Elena Rybakina, Annett Kontaveit
- Kites: Felix Auger Aliassime, Gael Monfils, Iga Swiatek, Sania Mirza, Eugenie Bouchard
- Eagles: Nick Kyrgios, Rohan Bopanna, Caroline Garcia, Bianca Andreescu, Andreas Seppi
Mubadala World Tennis Championship
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who is currently recovering from injury but has been confirmed as the youngest year-end No. 1 in history, will be making his debut at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, which runs from December 16-18 in Abu Dhabi.
The tournament will feature eight players, six from the ATP Tour and two from the WTA Tour.
The two women’s players are world No. 2 Ons Jabeur and British No. 1 Emma Raducanu, and they will meet in a one-off match on December 16.
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The six men will face off for the chance to lift the trophy, which was won last year by Andrey Rublev, beating Andy Murray in the final.
The confirmed ATP players so far are: Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, Frances Tiafoe, Cameron Norrie, Andrey Rublev.
Nadal v Ruud in South America
Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud will be embarking on a South American trip almost as soon as the ATP Finals finish in Turin.
The pair, who met in this year’s French Open final, will be playing five matches in five different countries starting in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 23.
Announcing the series in an Instagram video, Ruud tells Nadal: “I want the Paris rematch with you.”
"I'm going to give you five rematches, one in Buenos Aires, one in Quito, one in Bogota, one in Belo Horizonte and one in Mexico City," Nadal replies.
Nadal beat Ruud in straight sets to win the French Open for a record-extending 14th time.
The opening exhibition contest will be played at the Arena Parque Roca and has been called 'The Rematch'.
Diriyah Tennis Cup
Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will lead the field at the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Medvedev won the inaugural edition of the eight-man event in 2019, beating Fabio Fognini in the final.
He will be joined in Saudi Arabia by fellow Russian Rublev, British No. 1 Norrie and Zverev, who could play for the first time since tearing ankle ligaments in the French Open semi-finals.
"I’m happy that I’ll finally be back on the court after my injury,” said Zverev.
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Alexander Zverev could return from injury in December
Image credit: Getty Images
“It’s even nicer that I can make my comeback before the official start of the 2023 season. I think the Diriyah Tennis Cup offers a very good opportunity for it and I’m looking forward to being in Saudi Arabia for the first time."
This year the players will also compete in doubles; the losers on the first day of singles will team up in doubles semi-finals and then play a final.
The event runs from December 8 to December 10.
The confirmed players so far are: Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Cameron Norrie, Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, Taylor Fritz
Africa Cares Women’s Tennis Challenge
Several top women’s players will be heading to South Africa for the Africa Cares Women’s Tennis Challenge on December 3 and 4.
The event aims to showcase South African tennis talent and raise awareness of gender-based violence.
World No. 2 Jabeur will be playing along with former world No. 1 Martina Hingis. South African youngster Khololwam Montsi will be competing, while Simona Halep was signed up but could miss out as she is provisionally suspended from tennis following a positive test for a banned substance at the US Open.
The confirmed players so far are: Martina Hingis, Ons Jabeur, Khololwam Montsi, Sloane Stephens, Dustin Brown.
When does 2023 tennis season start?
The new season gets under way on December 29 with the United Cup, a team event featuring a stacked field of men's and women's players which will be played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.
There are also tournaments in Adelaide, Auckland, Hobart and India before the 2023 Australian Open starts on January 16.
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