DOHA : Former world No.1 Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, world No. 5 Dominic Thiem of Austria and Frenchman Jo-Welfried Tsonga world No. 15 are some of the superstars set to dazzle as the best of tennis returns to Doha once again at the 2018 QatarExxonMobil Open.
The ATP award wining event will be held from January 1st to 6th ,2018 at the home of tennis in Qatar –the state-of-the-art Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha.
Of the 32 singles players and 16 doubles team featuring in the eight-day event, all eyes are definitely going to be on Djokovic, the 12 Grand Slam-winner, who will be coming back into the game after a lengthy injury layoff.
Djokovic, who successfully defended his title last year by defeating new world no.1 Andy Murray in three sets, will be hoping to make it three victories in a row in Doha, which has proven to be a home away from home for the 30-year-old who previously held the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for a massive total of 223 weeks.
The Serbian, whose last major tournament appearance was at the Wimbledon where he was forced to retire in the quarter-final match against Tomas Berdych, will be looking forward to assuring his numerous fans of his return to form with a commendable performance at the tournament.
For Thiem, who recently broke into the top five in the rankings for the first time in his career, will be hoping to further consolidate his positions among the “big boys” when sparks start flying on the courts in Doha.
Other top contenders include Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet and Fernando Verdasco as well as Pablo Carreno Busta.
Tournament Director Karim Alami said, “We are delighted to once again bring some of the world best players to Qatar for another rounds of sensational tennis at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. We’ve always been passionate about organizing the best tournament and we have been consistent in achieving this. The 2018 Qatar ExxonMobil Open is once again parading some of the strongest field in its category which is a proof of our commitment over the years.”
