Doha: Exciting times await all lovers of tennis as the Qatar ExxonMobil Open makes a return with some of the world’s top ten players on the cards for the 31st edition of the annual tournament, which will be held from February 20 to 26 at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.
Some of the prominent features at this year’s event are 2020 champion and world No. 6 Andrey Rublev, No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime, No. 8 Daniil Medvedev, defending champion and two-time winner Roberto Bautista Agut, and Alexander Zverez, among others. Regrettably, former World No. 1 and 2014 champion Rafael Nadal, who had earlier been confirmed for the tournament, had to pull out due to injury.
Also making a return to Doha is former world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray. Murray is also a two-time winner in Qatar, having claimed back-to-back victories at the 2008 and 2009 editions of the tournament.
Coming on the heels of a very successful FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, adjudged by many to be the best tournament in history, the $1,377,025 total prize money Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2023 will once again showcase the best of men’s tennis in a week-long event with exciting off-the-court attractions in a friendly and family-oriented environment.
For Rublev, 25, the 2023 edition of the award-winning tournament offers him a great opportunity to join the elite list of two-time winners in Doha – an exclusive list comprising some tennis greats including Stefan Edberg, Petr Korda, Novak Djokovic, and Bautista Agut, with legendary Swiss sensation Roger Federer having the only record of being a triple champion.
The Moscow-born Rublev, a former World No. 1 junior, broke into the ATP Top 20 in January 2020, the Top 10 in October 2020, and the Top 5 in September 2021.
In 2021, he defeated then-world No. 3 Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo and former world No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in Cincinnati en route to the ATP Masters 1000 finals. He then beat Novak Djokovic for the 11th of 12 ATP Tour titles at 2022 Belgrade.
He led the ATP Tour with five titles in 2020, tied for the tour-lead with 41 victories in 2020, and won 23 matches and 4 titles in a row at ATP 500 events from 2020–21.
The six-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist reached the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals semi-final and won gold in the All-ROC mixed doubles final together with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Canada’s Auger-Aliassime, who achieved a career high of No. 6 and earned a personal best of 60 wins during the breakout 2022 season, is another player to watch at the tournament. The 22-year-old, who in 2019 became the youngest Top-25 player since Lleyton Hewitt, has been in sensational form in the last year.
He led the ATP Tour with 45 hard-court and 31 indoor wins in 2022, highlighted by victories over No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and former No. 1s Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal. The Montreal-born right-handed player will be hoping to add to his four titles (Basel, Antwerp, Florence, and Rotterdam) won in 2022 with a first-time victory in Doha.
Karim Alami, Qatar ExxonMobil Open Tournament Director, said, “We are delighted with the line-up for this year’s tournament, which promises to be greater than the previous.” Qatar ExxonMobil Open is one of the most sought-after tennis events in the region, and we have always put on a show like no other over the years. I am certain all tennis fans are in for an unforgettable experience, and one that will linger on in their memories for a long time, at the tournament. I look forward to welcoming everyone for the week-long fiesta of great tennis at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.”
The Qatar ExxonMobil Open, one of two ATP Tour events held in the Middle East, has been selected by players as the ATP 250 Tournament of the Year on five occasions (2015, ’17, ’19, ’21-’22). Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have won multiple titles at this event, with Nadal’s haul including the 2014 singles title and four doubles crowns (2005, ’09, ’11, and ’15). Djokovic won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.
Leave a comment