World Tennis League line-ups : Novak Djokovic joins forces with Grigor Dimitrov, Iga Swiatek and Eugenie Bouchard team up with Felix Auger-Aliassime, and more
18 of the world’s finest male and female tennis players are to play in teams at the World Tennis League in Dubai later this year, an exhibition tournament that has been added to the calendar from this year onward.
On the men's side, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios and Felix Auger-Aliassime have been selected to take part in the event, while Iga Swiatek, Bianca Andreescu, Paula Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka are some of the WTA stars who will be in action at the competition.
Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about the World Tennis League tournament:
What is the World Tennis League tournament?
The World Tennis League is a new exhibition tournament that will be played at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. The tournament is backed by the owners of the World Tennis Championship and UAE sovereign fund Mubadala. 18 of the greatest athletes will compete over the course of six days and be divided into four teams of four, comprising of two male and two female players (three in some cases).
Each tie will consist of one men’s singles match, one women’s singles match and one mixed doubles match, followed by a live concert. Similar to the Laver Cup, the league tournament should have two sets and a match tie-break in the event of a tied score.
Across the six-day tournament, the teams will compete against each other in a round robin format. The top two teams will then square off on the final day of matches to determine the overall winner of the tournament. It is an exhibition tournament, hence the matches do not count towards the rankings.
Venue
The World Tennis League event will be played at the Coca-Cola Arena on the City Walk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which has a 17,000-seat capacity.
Team and Players
18 players will represent the four teams -- named the Falcons, the Hawks, the Kites and the Eagles.
Team Falcons
21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, former World No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov, and former World No. 2 players Aryna Sabalenka and Paula Badosa are all crammed into Team Falcons.
Introducing for the first time ever: Team
Falcons!
@paulabadosa @grigordimitrov
@DjokerNole @SabalenkaA
#WorldTennisLeague #Greatestshowoncourt
#TeamFalcons https://t.co/gLIBo7xx3K
Team Hawks
Team Hawks includes Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Alexander Zverev, former World No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Here they are - your 4 Team Hawks players! 🟠
@alexzverev
@lenarybakina
@domithiem
@AnettKontaveit
#WorldTennisLeague #Greatestshowoncourt
#TeamHawks https://t.co/qZVdnFcOiV
Team Kites
Team Kites is tightly packed with WTA No. 1, Iga Swiatek, Eugenie Bouchard, three-time doubles Grand Slam champion, Sania Mirza, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gael Monfils.
Team Kites is set. 🔵
@iga_swiatek
@felixtennis
@MirzaSania
@Gael_Monfils
#WorldTennisLeague #Greatestshowoncourt #TeamKites https://t.co/P6rpYtW4Vp
Team Eagles
Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios, 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, Doubles specialist Rohan Bopanna, Caroline Garcia and Andreas Seppi, who recently retired from professional tennis, are put into the Eagles team.
Presenting for the first time ever - Team Eagles. 🟡
@NickKyrgios
Caroline Garcia
Andreas Seppi
@rohanbopanna
Bianca Vanessa Andreescu
#WorldTennisLeague #Greatestshowoncourt #TeamEagles https://t.co/ED8qjSQ6W2
Schedule
The World Tennis League tournament will take place between December 19 and 24. It will be a great opportunity for players and fans to enjoy watching their favorite stars in action, as the organizers intend to create a festive atmosphere with music and other entertainment activities planned as well.