Rafael Nadal's return, Andy Murray's new coach, Ons Jabeur out to dazzle - What to look out for at MWTC
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Updated 15/12/2021 at 17:26 GMT
Ahead of the Mubadala Tennis World Championship in the UAE that begins this week Reem Abulleil reports and previews what could be a very interesting tournament. All eyes will most likely be on Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray with fans anxious to see how the legendary duo look before the Australian Open takes place in January.
Rafael Nadal (ESP) speaks with press on Media Day ahead of the 2021 Citi Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center on August 1, 2021 in Washington, DC
Image credit: Getty Images
The men’s tennis season ended a mere 10 days ago, with Russia clinching the Davis Cup title in Madrid, yet we’re already on the eve of an exhibition tennis event in Abu Dhabi that is typically seen as an unofficial start to the new year.
The Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) kicks off at Zayed Sports City on Thursday and will feature the long-awaited return of Rafael Nadal, who joins the likes of Andy Murray and Andrey Rublev in the six-player men’s field. You can watch it live or on demand on discovery+.
In the women’s showdown on Thursday evening, reigning Olympic gold medalist Belinda Bencic will take on Tunisian world No.10 Ons Jabeur, who replaced Emma Raducanu in the line-up after the US Open champion tested positive for Covid-19.
Dominic Thiem, who hasn’t competed since June due to a wrist injury, made a last-minute withdrawal from the tournament, saying he was “not ready to compete at the highest level”, while world No.8 Casper Ruud also pulled out. American Taylor Fritz and Britain’s Dan Evans have stepped in as replacements.
Here’s a look at some of the main storylines to look forward to these upcoming three days in the UAE capital.
Nadal to make first appearance since August
A foot injury that ruled Nadal out of Wimbledon forced the Spaniard to pull the plug on his 2021 season as early as August, but he is finally ready to step back on a match court and is due to face Murray or Evans on Friday.
Nadal arrived in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday after spending a few days training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Kuwait. The Mallorcan has recently added his good friend Marc Lopez – who won Olympic gold in doubles alongside Nadal in Rio 2016 – to his coaching staff, which is led by Carlos Moya.
Murray links up with new coach, on trial basis
Big changes are in the works for Murray, who has parted ways with his coach of more than five years Jamie Delgado and is in Abu Dhabi with Jan de Witt, who is working with the former world No.1 on a trial basis.
Murray spent two days with De Witt in London before arriving in the Emirates on Sunday.
“I kind of feel like this decision is quite an important one for me because obviously I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be playing, so I want to make sure that the person that’s with me for the last period of my career is the right one. So that’s why I’m going about it this way,” said Murray, who opens his MWTC campaign against his fellow Briton Evans on Thursday.
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Britain's Andy Murray returns the ball to USA's Tommy Paul during the quarter-finals match of the ATP Stockholm Open tennis tournament in Stockholm on November 11, 2021.
Image credit: Getty Images
Delgado has switched camps and has joined Canadian Denis Shapovalov’s team as head coach. Shedding more light on the reason behind their split, Murray said: “With Jamie, we obviously spent a lot of time together. Originally he came in and worked under Amelie Mauresmo, who was kind of leading my team and the same with Ivan Lendl.
“Last few years he was really my only coach and I’ve felt like going into the new season I wanted a little bit extra help, which I think he’s on board with. But he’s got the opportunity to lead Denis’ team, which is a great opportunity for him, so there’s no hard feelings there from me. But I wanted to have someone to come in and lead my team for this last part of my career.”
The stakes are high for Murray in 2022 as he tries to re-enter the top 100 and find ways to consistently perform at the highest level.
“If I have another season like I did this year, that’s not what I want and not the level that I want to be playing at. It’s up to me go and perform on the court and see if I can still do it,” said the 34-year-old.
“I kind of want to make sure I don’t leave any stone unturned this year away from the court and make sure I’m well-prepared and doing my warm-ups properly and cool-downs and all of those things, just to get that all spot on so I don’t look back at the end of the year and go, ‘Oh you know what, if I had done this differently, maybe I would have avoided this loss or this injury or whatever’.
“Just try and do everything properly this year.”
Shapovalov debuts partnership with Delgado
Murray won’t really have much time to miss Delgado, who is also in Abu Dhabi for his first on-site event as the head coach of Team Shapovalov.
The 22-year-old Canadian will be competing in Abu Dhabi for the first time and is keen to test his game against some of his biggest rivals ahead of his upcoming trip down to Australia for the official 2022 season kick-off.
Shapovalov ended his coaching relationship with Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny and is excited for this new chapter with Delgado.
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Denis Shapovalov
Image credit: Getty Images
“Obviously Jamie is just an unbelievable coach, he’s done such a great job with Andy, has worked with a lot of great players, and has been a great player himself. He’s got just so much experience under his belt. I definitely wanted a guy like this on my team, just to help me out, to talk with me through certain situations,” said the world No.14.
“Speaking to him on the phone I just felt like he had a great eye for my game as well, so I definitely think that it could be something really great.”
Shapovalov, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon over the summer, is halfway through his preseason training block and says improving his net game, getting more clinical on serve and making more returns, are three of his main priorities during this period.
Fritz sets sights on top 10
Fritz comes to Abu Dhabi on the back of a strong finish to 2021, where he reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells, the final in St. Petersburg and the quarters at the Paris Masters, all in consecutive tournaments.
Currently ranked a career-high No.23, Fritz’s main goal for 2022 is to crack the top 10 for the first time.
“Just with how I finished, if I kind of keep the same results of how I finished 2021 then I think that’s a pretty good goal to have,” he said on Wednesday.
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Taylor Fritz
Image credit: Getty Images
The Californian says the closing stretch of the season was “huge” for his confidence level and he has a clear vision of what he needs to work on in order to take another step forward.
“I think I need to keep working on applying my forehand as weapon, playing it aggressively, I felt like that what I was doing well at the end of the year, just using it as a weapon and trusting it in big moments and I think when I’m doing that it’s always when I’m playing my best,” explained the 24-year-old.
“And then also physically just trying to move better, a lot of work in the gym so I can just get stronger.”
Rublev searches for emotional stability
He may have finished the year at a career-high No.5 in the world, but Rublev knows he still has work to do, especially in the mental department, in order to improve his chances at winning a maiden Grand Slam title.
The Russian describes himself as an “emotional person” and is searching for ways to get mentally stronger so he could perform his best at critical moments at the biggest tournaments.
“The mental part, it’s all about mental in the end,” said Rublev, who faces Fritz or Shapovalov in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
“At this level, at these events, it’s about the mental part, how you face that pressure, how you face emotions, how you face some tough situation. And the better you face them, the better your results.”
Jabeur looks to dazzle Arab crowd against Bencic
In the 13th edition of the Abu Dhabi showpiece, Tunisian Ons Jabeur will become the first Arab to compete at the MWTC and she is keen to bring her A-game, even if it’s just in an exhibition showdown with Bencic.
The first ever Arab to be ranked in the top 10, Jabeur has had a historic 2021 campaign, in which she won her first WTA title, made the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, the semis at Indian Wells and peaked at No.7 in the world rankings.
“I think it’s huge what she’s doing, she’s inspiring a whole region of Arab women, not just women, generally, I just know she is huge in Tunisia and what she’s doing is really impressive,” said Bencic of Jabeur.
“I’ve known her for a long time and how she is as a person. She’s so down to earth and so nice and so friendly to really everyone, it’s really impressive and I’m so happy for her.”
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