Preview of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from 25th February to March 2nd 2019
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships ATP 500 tournament is one of the best supported tour events now in it’s 27th year as an ATP 500 tournament
Owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free and held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the tournament has been awarded the ‘ATP 500 Tournament of the Year’ award no fewer than 11 times since 2003 which is voted for by the ATP players.
The tournament has traditionally attracted many of the greatest names in tennis over the past two decades including Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. The 2019 entry list lives up to this billing with Roger Federer, Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori, Karen Khachanov and Stefanos Tsitsipas already entered.
Where is the tournament held?
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is held every year at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, UAE
What dates does the tournament run?
February 25th, 2019 to March 2nd, 2019
What court surface is the tournament played on?
The surface is outdoor hard courts
How many players and how many seeds are in the tournament?
There are a total of 32 men and there will be 8 seeded players in the Men’s singles draw
What is the prize money and how many ATP ranking points are available?
The tournament is an ATP 500 which means that the winner receives 2000 ATP or WTA World Ranking points, with the complete breakdown of points and prize money awarded as follows:
Winner – 500 pts – $565,635
Runner up – 300 pts – $283,880
Semi finals – 180 pts – $143,240
Quarter finals – 90 pts – $75,170
2nd round – 45 pts – $37,620
1st round – 20 pts – $20,815
Who is the reigning Champions?
In the 2018 Men’s Singles, Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) defeated Lucas Pouille (FR) 6-3, 6-4 in the final
Where can I buy tickets for the tournament?
You can buy tickets online by clicking here
How can I follow the tournament without going there?
To watch the live scores of every match in this tournament as they happen you can use the Tennishead exclusive Live Scores service here.
You can also follow this tournament on their official Twitter here
Alternatively you can watch the tennis live on television and full details of how to do this can be found here
Who has entered the 2019 tournament draw? (This may change nearer the time depending on injuries)
So far the Men’s singles tournament entries are as follows:
- Kei Nishikori
- Roger Federer
- Marin Cilic
- Karen Khachanov
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Borna Coric
- Milos Raonic
- Daniil Medvedev
- Roberto Bautista Agut
- Nikoloz Basilashvili
- Gael Monfils
- Fernando Verdasco
- Philipp Kohlschreiber
- Marton Fucsovics
- Pierre-Hugues Herbert
- Matthew Ebden
- Matteo Berrettini
- Damir Dzumhur
- Mikhail Kukushkin
- Hyeon Chung
- Jan-Lennard Struff
- Tomas Berdych
Past Champions – Men’s Singles
Prediction for 2019
As always whenever he enters a tournament like this Roger Federer will be the fans and many of the experts favourite. This year the only player entered so far that ranks above Federer is Kei Nishikori, so to win it Federer wouldn’t have to beat his arch rivals Novak Djokovic or Rafa Nadal. For this reason alone we would probably make Federer our favourite. The added incentive for the great Swiss is that so far in his career he’s won 99 ATP tournaments which means his next win will be an incredible 100th win on the ATP tour.
Special mention should be made of Karen Khachanov, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Borna Coric. Three of the great young players that are currently cutting swathes for the ATP tour with their exciting styles and high energy. If a new player is going to win this prestigious event then look no further than those three players. They also don’t have as much baggage when it comes to playing and losing to Federer which makes them less likely to be intimidated by the great man.
Good luck to everyone!
Look ahead to 2019 with our guide to every tournament on the ATP Tour, the WTA Tour and the ITF Tour
If you can’t visit the tournaments you love then do the next best thing and read our guide on how to watch all the ATP Tour matches on television in 2019
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