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Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka - Australian Open 2024

Abu Dhabi Open 2024 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?


The WTA Tour is heading to the Middle East, with the Abu Dhabi Open kicking things off ahead of an exciting few weeks. 

And we, at Tennishead, have got everything you need to know about the WTA 500 tournament:

When is the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open?

The main draw of the Abu Dhabi Open will begin on Monday 5th February, concluding with both the singles and doubles finals on Sunday 11th February.

Play on most days will commence at 1pm local time (9am GMT), with slightly differing times for qualifying over the coming weekend.

Where is the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open held?

The Abu Dhabi Open is held at at the International Tennis Centre, which is part of the Zayed Sports Centre, in the United Arab Emirates capital.

Inside the complex features two main matchcourts, with Centre Court holding a total of 5,000 spectators and Court 2 containing 600 people.

Who is playing at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open?

It is a strong field at the event in Abu Dhabi once again, with nine of the top 20 ranked players featuring, headlined by 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina as top seed.

Some of the other seeded players in the main draw include Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Barbora Krejcikova and Beatriz Haddad Maia.

There are no former champions in the tournament this year, however Liudmila Samsonova and Veronika Kudermetova are previous runners-up and will be looking to avenge their respective final defeats.

Samsonova in particular may feel aggrieved from her final defeat last year, having squandered three championship point opportunities.

Wildcards have been awarded to two former Grand Slam champions in Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu, as well as Xiyu Wang and Filipino Alexandra Eala.

Both Osaka and Raducanu are looking to continue their comebacks, from maternity leave and injury respectively, with the former also playing doubles with the aforementioned Jabeur.


READ MORE: Naomi Osaka announced to play first doubles tournament in seven years


How many ranking points are on offer at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open?

With players looking to continue their comebacks and build their way back up the WTA rankings, a maximum 500 points is a very appealing prize for winning the title in Abu Dhabi.

Here is the full breakdown of these points at the tournament:

Event W F SF QF Round of 16 Round of 32 Q Q2 Q1
Singles 500 325 195 108 60 1 25 13 1
Doubles 1

What is the prize money for the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open?

The total prize money for this year’s tournament in Abu Dhabi stands at $922,573, with the singles winner taking home $142,000 of that.

Here is the full breakdown of that prize money:

Event W F SF QF Round of 16 Round of 32 Q2 Q1
Singles $142,000 $87,655 $51,205 $24,200 $13,170 $8,860 $6,603 $3,380
Doubles * $47,390 $28,720 $16,430 $8,510 $5,140

*Per team

Previous winners of the Abu Dhabi Open

There have only been two previous editions of this event held, with two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka winning the inaugural tournament in 2021.

Last year saw Belinda Bencic take home the crowd, having saved three championship points to fightback and win a gripping three set final.

Here is the full list of singles and doubles champions:

Year  Singles Champion Doubles Champions
2021 Aryna Sabalenka Shuko Aoyama & Ena Shibahara 
2022 Not held  Not held
2023  Belinda Bencic  Luisa Stefani & Zhang Shuai 

 

How can you watch the 2024 Abu Dhabi Open?

You can watch the Abu Dhabi Open on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom and Ireland or on Tennis Channel in the United States of America.

For more information on how to watch the stacked tournament in your location, visit the official WTA website here.


READ NEXT: Aryna Sabalenka ‘is the most consistent player in the world’ claims former No.1


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Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.