Andy Murray sparks retirement speculation in Dubai - "It gets harder and harder... I probably don't have too long left"
About Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai Tennis Championships Introduction
Image Credits: Dubai Duty Free Tennis’ Instagram
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, or the Dubai Open, is a professional tennis tournament that is held annually in Dubai, UAE. The event has competitions on the men’s and women’s circuits, as a part of the ATP and WTA tours respectively. It is an outdoor hard court tournament that offers 500 points on the men’s side, and 1000 points on the women’s side.
Every year, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships takes place at the end of February, under the support of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The tournament is owned and organised by primary sponsor Dubai Duty Free for multiple years now. In 2024, the WTA Dubai Duty Free Championships will be held from February 18-24, while the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will be held from February 26 to March 2. There will be 32/16 entrants in singles and doubles on the men’s side, and 64/32 entrants in the women’s event.
In 2023, three-time Australian Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev won the men’s singles title in Dubai, while former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova reigned supreme in the women’s draw. Most of the top players in the world are scheduled to participate in the tournament in 2024.
Dubai Tennis Championships History
The Dubai Tennis Championships was introduced as an ATP-250 event at the Aviation Club in 1993. Before the 1990s, there was a Dubai Tennis tournament played at the British Embassy every year. Karel Novacek was the first winner of the inaugural ATP-250 Dubai Open in 1993. On the other hand, Swiss maestro Roger Federer is the most decorated player at the tournament, having taken home the Dubai Open trophy on eight separate occasions.
The first Dubai Tennis Championships on the WTA circuit was held in 2001, with Martina Hingis emerging as the winner of the competition. Eventually, the tournament was upgraded to ATP-500 and WTA-1000 events respectively. However, the WTA alternates the Dubai Open between a 500-point and 1000-point tournament every year. The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium inside the Aviation Tennis Centre in Dubai plays host to the tournament. Launched in 1996, the stadium has a capacity of 5,000.
In 2005, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships implemented an equal prize money policy for men and women, and the policy continued till 2021. As a result, it became only the third tournament after the Australian Open and US Open to do so. While Justine Henin has won the most titles on the women’s side historically, the past three editions of the tournament has seen Russian champions on the men’s circuit (Aslan Karatsev, Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev).
Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 Schedule
WTA
DATE:
EVENT:
16 February
Qualifying
17 February
Qualifying
18 February
Round-1
19 February
Round-1
20 February
Round-2
21 February
Round-3
22 February
Quarterfinals
23 February
Semifinals
24 February
Final
ATP
DATE:
EVENT:
24 February
Qualifying
25 February
Qualifying
26 February
Round-1
27 February
Round-2
28 February
Round-3
29 February
Quarterfinals
1 March
Semifinals
2 March
Final
Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 Venue
The 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships are being held at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai. It is a professional tennis complex that has a capacity of 5,000 people. The owner of the arena is Dubai Duty Free, and it was opened back in 1996. Inside this complex is the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, where the men’s and women’s matches are held annually.
Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 Prize Money
The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has allocated equal prize money for both men’s and women’s winners. As of 2024, the total prize fund stands at $3.2 million.
Event
Winner
Runner Up
Men’s Singles
$550,140
$296,000
Women’s Singles
$523,485
$308,320
Men’s Doubles
$180,700
$96,370
Women’s Doubles
$154,160
$86,710
Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 Defending Champions
Dubai Tennis Championships 2024 Most Successful Players
In men’s singles, Roger Federer holds the record for being the most successful player at the tournament. He won the competition on eight different occasions (2003-05, 2007, 2012, 2014-15, 2019). In women’s singles, Justine Henin has won the event four times (2003-04, 2006-07).
Where to Watch the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships?
The 2024 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships can be streamed live on the ATP World Tour and WTA TV sites respectively, with subsequent subscriptions. Coming to the live television broadcast, there is no confirmed information available yet. However, the listed television channels of prominence for tennis tournaments during the course of the season are as follows:
Australia: beIN Sports
Canada: DAZN
UK & Germany: Sky Sports
India: Sony Sports Network
South America: ESPN
Turkey: beIN Digiturk
USA: Tennis Channel
FAQs
A. The first ever men’s Dubai Tennis Championships was held in 1993. Meanwhile, the women’s Dubai Open debuted in 2001.
A. The Dubai Duty Free Championships is played at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in the Aviation Tennis Centre.
A. Daniil Medvedev and Barbora Krejcikova are the singles defending champions at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, ahead of the 2024 edition of the tournament.
A. The Dubai Tennis Championships is played every year during the month of February.
