Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Aryna Sabalenka among players training in the Gulf during preseason

Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Aryna Sabalenka are all practicing in gulf countries during the preseason ahead of the 2024 season.

Rafael Nadal is heading into what could be his final year as a tennis player with a conditioning camp at his academy in Kuwait. The 37-year-old Spanish legend has been out of action due to a hip injury that has sidelined him since the Australian Open in January 2023.

Nadal is training with French teenager Arthur Fils in Kuwait, and should be heading towards Brisbane from there to start his season next year. This also gives the young Frenchman an opportunity to learn a few tricks from one of the greatest players ever.

Nadal posted on X (formerly Twitter):

"I hope, first of all, to feel again those nerves, that eagerness, those fears, those doubts. I expect from myself not to expect anything. This is the truth. To have the ability not to demand of myself what I have demanded of myself throughout my career. I believe I’m in a different moment, in a different situation and in an unexplored terrain."

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The Gulf is the preferred pre-season destination for players other than Nadal too

Nadal is not the only player training in the Middle East before the start of the season. It is summer in the Southern Hemisphere and hence, the weather conditions in Australia in January will be a far cry from the ones in European countries.

The average temperature in Melbourne is hovering around 20 degrees Celsius at the moment, while the same in a lot of European cities is in single digits. Hence, the relatively hot and humid conditions in the Middle East provide the players with a more feasible option to train and prepare for the schedule ahead.

Novak Djokovic is soon going to do a training block in Dubai with his compatriot, Hamad Medjedovic. Medjedovic recently won the Next Gen Finals by beating Fils in a five-setter in the final.

The two Serbs will be heading towards Perth from Dubai to participate in the United Cup.

Andy Murray, yet another veteran, is training at the Aviation Club in Dubai at the moment. The 36-year-old Brit also took to social media to post videos of his training sessions.

The women are following suit too. The current World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka and former World No. 2 Paula Badosa are also in Dubai, practicing for the upcoming season.

A lot of tennis stars will be Abu Dhabi bound with the World Tennis League Exhibition starting at the Etihad Arena there on December 21. The Gulf region is becoming a hot spot in world tennis during the off-season, and it is easy to see why.