DUBAI, February 23, 2025 (DDFTennis Press Release)
Ambitious Aziz Dougaz bids to follow in Malek Jaziri’s footsteps as the Tunisian star fulfils another lifelong dream when he competes in the main draw of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for the first time on Monday.
Dougaz, ranked World No. 216, has worked his way up the tennis pyramid since turning professional in 2020 and qualified for the main draw at a Grand Slam event for the first time at last month’s Australian Open. In doing so, Dougaz became just the second Tunisian male player to feature in a Grand Slam singles main draw match.
The first was of course Jaziri, who called time on his trailblazing 20-year career at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 2023. Jaziri, one of only five Arab men to make it into the top 50 in the history of the PIF ATP rankings, is a huge source of inspiration for Dougaz, who has received a wildcard for this year’s ATP 500 event in Dubai.
Detailing how the emirate’s annual tournament can be a career catalyst, Dougaz said: “It started even with Malek Jaziri. I think Dubai was a big step in his career and helped him establish himself on the world stage. Hopefully I can follow in those footsteps, show that I have the level [needed] to compete, and achieve strong results this year and in the future.”
For Dougaz, this is not just another tournament – it is the realisation of a childhood dream.
“It means so much for me to be playing here as this is a tournament I have dreamt of competing in since I was a child,” said the 27-year-old, who faces Zizou Bergs in the second game of the day on Court 1. “As I grew up, the main events we looked up to were tournaments like these. We do not have many in our region – mainly Dubai and Doha – so playing in one of them is a dream come true.
“I really want to thank the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships organisers for awarding me this wildcard. Their efforts to grow the game of tennis in the Arab World, and support Arab players in general, have been invaluable. They have played a huge role in developing generations of players, including those from my own country.”
On the impact the Arab fanbase can have on the court, he added: “We do not get the chance of competing in the Arab World many times in the year, so being in Dubai, in front of the Arab crowd, means so much to me. I want to ask all the Arab fans to come and support us all and live this experience with us. I think they can certainly have a big impact. And, for me at least, I know for sure it will motivate me and make me compete even better.”
Dougaz is not the only player gearing up to feature in a competitive match in Dubai for the first time. Fellow wildcard Hady Habib of Lebanon faces Alexei Popyrin in the opening match on Centre Court. Habib made history at the Australian Open by becoming the first Lebanese player to win a singles match at a Grand Slam. He is excited at the prospect of creating more history in Dubai.
“Qualifying and stepping onto court in Melbourne was beyond anything I’d ever imagined,” the 26-year-old said. “The support from the Lebanese community really carried me through each moment, and now
I’m channeling that momentum towards Dubai. I want to build on everything I learned in Australia and keep raising the bar.”
He added: “I want to thank the tournament organisation and the director, Salah Tahlak, for granting me the wildcard and giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to a great week in Dubai.”
Other standout first-round singles matches on Monday see No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, a two-time finalist in Dubai, take on Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego, while the hard-hitting Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard makes his debut in the competition against China’s Zhizhen Zhang.
Meanwhile, former Dubai semi-finalist Dan Evans, the third and final wildcard selected to compete in this year’s tournament, will go head-to-head against World No. 21 Karen Khachanov – a Dubai resident who is also in Doubles action on the same day alongside 2022 Dubai champion Andrey Rublev.
