LOVE30: DUBAI DUTY FREE TENN IS READY TO SERVE
The iconic tennis championship celebrates 30 years of action in the UAE
As the clouds hung low over Centre Court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Garhoud, the atmosphere was almost identical to that of 30 years ago when the first serve went up at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Granted there are a lot more seats, lots more glitz and glamour, but the spirit of the event remains the same — the pursuit of glory in one of the world’s most highly regarded tennis tournaments. The greatest male and female stars will descend on Dubai over the next fortnight as they battle it out to join the likes of Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in the Dubai hall of champions.
Here, Gulf News takes you through the significance and evolution of the competition, from a rainswept and dust start to a global festival of tennis.
Significance
Dubai — and the UAE as a whole — is one of the top sporting destinations. We only have to look back over the past few months to gain a glimpse into the vast array of superstars who now arrive on these shores — entourage in tow — for some of the globe’s top sporting events: from golf to swimming, motorsports to horse racing, and football to cricket.
It was not always this way. Thirty years ago, major sporting occasions in the UAE were virtually unheard of until tennis showed just what could be achieved here. From the first Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in 1993, it was clear this was a ground-breaking move for Dubai, not only in the sporting world, but beyond — helping transform the UAE into a global hub for events, tourism and business.
The significance of the DDFTC reaches far beyond the realms of sport as it helped showcase this nation to the wider world and open eyes as to what it had to offer, culturally, historically and as a destination.
From a sporting point of view, obviously this is a significant occasion — marking the 30th anniversary of one of the most highly regarded events on both the ATP and WTA Tours. Then there are the ranking points as both the men’s and women’s competitions are ‘500’ events. Then there is the prestige. Every player comes here hoping to add their name to the list of great champions including Goran Ivanisevic, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer on the ATP competition and Martina Hingis, Amelie Mauresmo,
Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep, Elina Svitolina and Garbine Muguruza on the WTA. A good run in Dubai also sets players up for a demanding schedule on the season ahead, with many past champions going on to pick up Grand Slam titles in the same season.
The tournament was set up by Colm McLoughlin and Dubai Duty Free to offer a unique experience for the competitors and fans, while also inspiring youngsters to get into sport by watching the stars in person — something that was rare in these parts in the early 1990s. It certainly opened eyes, as others sat up and saw the potential and a previously untapped multicultural audience.
Soon the world’s top athletes from all disciplines were marking dates on their calendar for events in the UAE. Some of the finest racehorses on the planet have been coming to Dubai for the world’s richest horse race — the Dubai World Cup — since 1996. Golf fans have swarmed for a glimpse of the likes of Tiger Woods, cricketers and footballers escaped harsh winters to train and play in the warmer climes of the UAE. The glitz of Formula One, powerboats, the Indian Premier League and Club World Cup followed suit, and even diverse events such as cliff diving, air racing and round-the-world sailing have all followed in the footsteps of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.
New additions are being added to the UAE sporting portfolio — like UFC and the Fina World Swimming Championships — and the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup was staged here late last year. Things only going to get bigger and better, and that is thanks to the vision and bravery of the pioneers at such events as DDFTC, who broke new ground back in the 1990s.