When tennis tournaments at Qatar and Dubai were already spreading the popularity of the sport in the middle east, there emerged yet another tournament in 2009 which intensified the sport’s propagation. Formerly known as the Capitala World Tennis Championship, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) came into action as an attractive outdoor hard court event.
The Beginning
In 2004, the Zayed Sports City was established with Abu Dhabi International Tennis Centre being one of its main centers of attraction. It has a seating capacity of 5000 on its Centre Court and 600 on Court 2. The first event held at the venue was an ATP Futures tournament held in 2006.
2009 – Capitala World Tennis Championship
This was the first edition of the MWTC. Flash and Capitala partnered for a new tennis season through an exhibition tournament. Capitala World Tennis Championship saw Andy Murray win the event after beating Roger Federer, James Blake, and Rafa Nadal.
The 2010s
The next editions of MWTC proved to be promising as every tournament saw some of the top 10 players contending for the title. 2010 & 2011 saw Rafa Nadal defeat Robin Soderling and Roger Federer in the finals. The following three years, the tournament was won by Novak Djokovic. In all three finals, he defeated Spaniards (David Ferrer in 2011 & 2013, Nicolas Almagro in 2012).
2015 was the only year when there was a winner without a final being contested. Andy Murray won the title after getting a walkover from Novak Djokovic.
In 2017, Jelena Ostapenko defeated Serena Williams in the first ever ladies match at the event. Ons Jabeur is the only woman to have won the MWTC twice.
Accolades
The winner of the tournament receives $2,50,000 and a trophy designed by Lasvit.
Mubadala Community Cup
The MWTC provides a range of special services for the fans right from holding coaching clinics to autograph sessions. The Mubadala Community Cup is one such feature wherein the amateur players battle it out in draws featuring various age groups. The winners are awarded a special spot in the coaching clinics.