Abu Dhabi match-up for Serena and Venus
▶ Serena confirms she will take on Venus in one-off match at Zayed Sports City
Tennis superstar Serena Williams has confirmed her return to the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi later this month, where she will play sister Venus in a one-off match.
Williams, who has won 23-grand slam singles titles, competed in the inaugural women’s event last year when she took on Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko in her first match after giving birth to her daughter.
This year, however, will be “even more special” for Williams as the American will face her seven-time grand slam winning sister Venus, with whom she has won 14 major doubles titles.
“I loved playing in Abu Dhabi last year. I am excited to return to such a beautiful city and to see my fans,” Williams said yesterday. “This time, I’ll be playing against my sister, so the match will be even more special.”
Former world No 1 Williams was voted 2018 WTA Comeback Player of the Year after returning last season to reach the Wimbledon and US Open finals, despite a number of health complications during and post-pregnancy.
Williams, 37, was defeated by Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon final, while Japan’s Naomi Osaka was victorious in a controversial US Open title match.
MWTC will provide Williams the ideal platform to finalise preparations ahead of the 2019 Australian Open, which takes place in January.
A seven-time champion in Melbourne, Williams missed this year’s tournament as defending champion, deeming herself not fit enough to compete, but she has confirmed her return to the season’s first grand slam next year.
Indeed, Venus stated last week that competing in Abu Dhabi will help her acclimatise ahead of travelling to Melbourne.
“I have never been to the Middle East at that time of year before,” she said. “I do my training in Florida, which is pretty warm, but it will be good to get some more time on court and training in warm conditions and that should help me in Australia.”
The Williams sisters have played against each other 30 times, with Serena holding the advantage with 18 wins. They have contested nine grand slam finals, including five in succession starting at the 2002 French Open, with Serena coming out on top in seven.
The American’s return to MWTC, which takes place December 27-29 at Zayed Sports City’s International Tennis Centre, adds even more star power to the tournament’s line-up. The six-player men’s event will feature the top two players in the world, with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal both confirmed. They will be joined by defending champion Kevin Anderson, French Open finalist Dominic Thiem, Australian Open semi-finalist Hyeon Chung, and Paris Masters champion Karen Khachanov.
Day 1 of the tournament will see the Williams sisters do battle as well as two men’s matches, with the winners progressing to face either Djokovic or Nadal in the semi-finals.
Anderson will take on Chung in the first quarter-final, with the winner facing Nadal in the last-four. Thiem will then play Khachanov for the right to face Djokovic in the other semi-final.
The second day will then comprise the two semi-finals, with the final day hosting the third-place play-off and final.