The Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex is all set to host the 2014 Qatar Open, with the world’s number one ranked player Rafael Nadal of Spain headlining the tournament this year.
Also set to compete from tomorrow are Spain’s David Ferrer, the third highest ranked males singles tennis player in the world, and Andy Murray of the UK, who stands at number four in international rankings. Murray has won two past titles in Doha, in 2008 and 2009.
Richard Gasquet of France – ranked world number nine – is the defending champion at the Qatar Open, having beaten Nikolay Davydenko of Russian at the last tournament in Jan. 2013.
The Qatar Open is the ceremonial opening of the ATP World Tour season. Matches begin tomorrow, Dec. 30, 2013 and run through Jan. 4, 2014, with 32 players facing off in the singles tournament, and 16 teams competing for the doubles title.
Officially dubbed the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2014 for its main sponsor, organizers held a draw ceremony yesterday to determine who would face off against who in the starting matches. This year’s prize money top $1 million.
Tickets for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2014 are still available online at qatartennis.org and at Villaggio, City Center, Lagoona, and Landmark malls, as well as the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex from 10am-9pm.
For those who prefer to watch from home – live matches are due to be broadcast in Doha on Al Jazeera Sports channels – both in English and in Arabic.
Who’s going?