Adelaide Exhibition schedule: Rafael Nadal to play Dominic Thiem, Serena Williams to face Naomi Osaka
The match-ups for the Adelaide Day at the Drive exhibition tournament have been confirmed, and Rafael Nadal will take on Dominic Thiem in the evening session on Friday. However, the day's action will be kick-started by Novak Djokovic, who will face rising star and Nadal's training partner Jannik Sinner.
Among the women, a mouth-watering clash between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka awaits the fans in the afternoon session. Then in the evening, the locals will get a glimpse of their favorite Ashleigh Barty as she takes on Simona Halep.
Each match will consist of two sets, and if the scores are tied at one set apiece then there will be a match tiebreak to decide the winner.
Serena Williams’ sister and training partner in Adelaide, Venus Williams, will also take on Irina-Camelia Begu in a one-set clash. Begu has traveled with countrywoman Simona Halep and is also the latter’s training partner in Adelaide.
The top three men’s and women’s players have been quarantining in Adelaide ahead of the Australian Open. But the move to host them in a separate city has garnered widespread criticism, punctuated by allegations of preferential treatment for the big names.
Craig Tiley, the Chief of Tennis Australia, had announced earlier this month that Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Simona Halep - along with their training partners - would be accommodated in Adelaide. Tiley had claimed that the decision had been taken because Melbourne had reached the upper limit of the number of people permitted to be hosted there.
In return for hosting the top players in Adelaide, the South Australian government reportedly demanded that an exhibition tournament be held to give the region an economic boost. And that is what led to the organizing of the Day at the Drive event.
Needless to say, this event will also act as a warm-up event for all the top stars involved ahead of a grueling Australian hardcourt swing.
What time will Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Serena Williams be seen in action?
As per Friday’s order of play, Novak Djokovic will kickstart the exhibition event against Jannik Sinner at 1:00 pm local time. That will be followed by Serena Williams’ clash against Naomi Osaka, after which fans will get a glimpse of Venus Williams in action.
The evening session will begin from 7:00 pm local time, with Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem as the first match. The day’s action will be brought to an end by Ashleigh Barty taking on Simona Halep.