ABU DHABI, December 28, 2017 (Press Release)
Day one of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) 10th Edition got off to an exciting start as future stars of the game got the chance to interact and learn from the very best.
The Tennis Village at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City was a hive of activity as kids as young as 10 rubbed shoulders with the likes of US Open semi-finalist Pablo Carreño Busta, world number five Dominic Thiem, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, upcoming star 20-year-old Russian Andrey Rublev and US Open finalist Kevin Anderson. The players took time ahead of their matches to share advice and tips with local children, as well as train with them, hoping to inspire the future generation of players.
Murray’s Surprise Visit
The Championship provides a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity for youngsters to practice with their heroes and offers fans unrivalled access to the world’s leading players.
Spectators were also treated to a surprise visit by Andy Murray, who is in Abu Dhabi to train ahead of the Australian Open.
Commenting on his participation at the Mubadala Community Cup (MCC) ‘under 14’s clinic, Carreño Busta said, “It’s really fun to play with these kids and I think it is very important for them to play with top players and I hope that they enjoyed the clinic. I sure did.”
British national Amber Razzaq was among the group of kids who took part in the clinic as one of the winners of the MCC. She said, “It was a great experience for me as a tennis player because usually we see these players only on TV and you never dream of seeing them in real life let alone playing with them. So today was actually a great experience for me to learn and improve.”
Fans also enjoyed a Q&A session with Australian legend and MWTC ambassador Pat Cash and Dominic Thiem, who along with Russian Andrey Rublev, signed autographs for the youngsters.
Visitors to the Tennis Village also enjoyed fun games and other engaging activities to test their tennis skills at the Mubadala’s Interactive Zone while there were plenty of competitions for fans from key sponsors including Etihad Airways, Emirates Motor Company Mercedes Benz and Highland Spring.
