Rafael Nadal to return to Dubai for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship

Rafael Nadal has confirmed his participation at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. The tournament will be held at the Zayed Sports City in Dubai from Dec. 31, 2015 to Jan. 2, 2016.

The annual exhibition features a strong lineup comprising six of the best players on tour, a statement on the event’s official website said. Joining Nadal, who is a two-time champion, is Canadian No. 1 Milos Raonic, who will be making his debut in the UAE capital this year. The rest of the players who will take part in the eighth edition of the event will be announced in the coming days.

Since its inception in 2009, the world’s top male tennis players such as Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka have all taken part in the said three-day tennis event. Leading the roll is Djokovic with three Mubadala titles. Murray is a two-time champion, who claimed his second tournament victory in 2014. Nadal won the title in 2009 and 2011.

In other news, Nadal will also be taking part in an exhibition match in Thailand on Oct. 2. He will play rival Djokovic at Bangkok’s Hua Mark Indoor Stadium. Nadal visited the Asian country in 2010 for the same event but lost in the semifinal. Djokovic, meanwhile, had also been to Thailand in 2008 when he competed at the Thailand Open.

Nadal last played at Flushing Meadows in New York for the 2015 U.S. Open. Nadal struggled to return to his best form after submitting to Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the third round. He lost to the Italian in five sets, 3-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4.

After his early elimination at the 2015 U.S. Open, Nadal had been enjoying his time off the tour. The 29-year-old Mallorca native occasionally shares snaps of his adventure off the tennis court on his social media accounts.

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