The organizers of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship have confirmed that 9-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and world No.9 Milos Raonic will participate in the tournament which begins on December 31st.
Two-time champion Nadal will be seeking to claim his first title since 2011. The Spaniard will participate in the tournament for the seventh time in his career. During the 2015 tournament he suffered a disappointing semifinal hammering by Andy Murray where he lost 6-2, 6-0. He has reached the final on three occasions, claiming the title in 2010 and 2011.
24-year-old Raonic will play in the exhibition tournament for the first time in his career. The Canadian has reached the final of two ATP tournaments this year (including St Petersburg this week). During a season where he has been troubled by a foot injury, his best Grand Slam performance was at the start of the year where he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
The World Tennis Championship is hosted at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex. The 2016 tournament will be the eighth edition of the event. Since the first edition in 2009, only three men have won the title. Andy Murray twice, Rafael Nadal twice and Novak Djokovic three times. The winner of the tournament will claim US$250,000.
List of champions
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Andy Murray | Novak Djokovic | walkover |
| 2013 | Novak Djokovic | David Ferrer | 7–5, 6–2 |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic | Nicolás Almagro | 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 6–4 |
| 2011 (Dec.) | Novak Djokovic | David Ferrer | 6–2, 6–1 |
| 2011 (Jan.) | Rafael Nadal | Roger Federer | 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–3) |
| 2010 | Rafael Nadal | Robin Söderling | 7–6(7–3), 7–5 |
| 2009 | Andy Murray | Rafael Nadal | 6–4, 5–7, 6–3 |
Note – No tournament in 2014
