Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2015: Daily Scores, Results, Draw Schedule
Say what you will about the tennis world, but it knows how to ring in the new year. Since 2009, the world's best players have descended on Abu Dhabi for the World Tennis Championship, a three-day exhibition that serves as a celebration of the sport.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have dominated proceedings, winning five of the six titles. One of the pair has appeared in every final. Originally conceived as a New Year's Day opener, the last three years have been held in December, making 2015 a return to form.
But it was Andy Murray who triumphed this time round. The British No. 1 was named as the tournament champion after Djokovic pulled out with a fever.
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Here's a look back at the best of the action from this season curtain-raiser in Dubai.
Day 3 Recap
Andy Murray is the winner of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship after Novak Djokovic pulled out of the final. The news of Djokovic's withdrawal represented a major disappointment for supporters in attendance at the tournament's final day, who will have no doubt been looking forward to an engrossing climax.
The world No. 1's decision not to play and Murray's victory were confirmed by the tournament's official Twitter account:
Djokovic released a statement accompanying the news of his withdrawal, per Sport360.com:
"Unfortunately I am not to be able to play in the final in Abu Dhabi tonight. I’ve been sick today with a fever and I’m not fit to play. I said after my match last night, the crowds here have shown their love of tennis again this year and always inspire me to play my best so I am hugely disappointed not to be able to play for them tonight.
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Lucky enough for those fans that made the trip to the Abu Dhabi event, the third-place playoff match between Nadal and Wawrinka ended up being an entertaining spectacle, with the Spaniard eventually emerging as a 7-6, 6-3 victor.
After being hammered by Murray in his semifinal match, it was important for Nadal to get some critical competitive minutes out on court and rediscover some of his patented intensity. And encouragingly, the Spaniard looked a lot sharper from the off this time round.
Wawrinka was making the match an entertaining spectacle as both players struggled to hold their serves throughout the course of the opening set. Eventually the score moved on to 6-6, and the players geared up for the subsequent tie-break.
Nadal stepped up it a gear at this point, showcasing the kind of talents that should make him a force to be reckoned with in 2015. The Spaniard insouciantly waltzed to a 7-1 win in the breaker and subsequently took the first set.
But he was unable to get away from Wawrinka at the start of the second set as once again, the two players traded early breaks of serve.
The Spaniard always looked to have an edge, though, and once he broke Wawrinka in the sixth game of the match to move into a 4-2 lead, the result never looked in doubt. He went on to take the second set 6-3, and the 28-year-old will have been delighted to get back to winning ways after his humbling defeat to Murray in the semifinals.
It'll be intriguing to see how Nadal fares in the upcoming tournament in Doha, but at this juncture he doesn't look to have quite enough in the tank to challenge for the Australian Open title in a couple of weeks' time.
Day 2 Recap
Nadal’s return to competitive action was over in double-quick time, as Murray triumphed 6-2, 6-0 in a lopsided semifinal of the Mubadala Tennis Championships.
The Spaniard was playing in his first game since having his appendix removed, and he looked expectedly rusty on his return to the court. By comparison, Murray—who beat Feliciano Lopez in a gruelling match on Day 1 of the tournament—looks sharp and refreshed ahead of what promises to be an intriguing campaign.
It may have only been an exhibition match, but as noted here by former player Andrew Castle, accruing some momentum is vital for both players:
From the off, the British No. 1 looked like the fitter player. His movement around the court was especially impressive and the work rate showcased by the two-time Grand Slam winner was too much for Nadal to handle as Murray roared into a 3-0 lead.
Despite the Spaniard looking a little out of touch, it really whet the appetite for the upcoming season to see him back on the court. It’s something the BBC’s David Law touched upon during the absorbing first set:
Murray wasn’t letting up, however. The next four games went with serve as Rafa did his best to establish a foothold, but the Scot seized on some poor serves from the Spanish star with the scoreline at 5-2, eventually running out a comfortable winner in the first set by a 6-2 scoreline.
The trend continued in the early stages of the second set, with Murray on it from the off once again. He held serve in the first game before breaking Nadal in the second, and as noted by the BBC’s Kheredine Idessane, the Scottish star was looking in exceptional fettle:
Nadal looked to respond in the third game of the match, and the two traded blows over 14 engrossing minutes. But eventually, Murray was able to secure a massive hold to go 3-0 up; Nadal looked deflated.
So it was little surprise to see the British No. 1 race through the remaining games in no time at all, laying down a major marker with a 6-0 second-set win over the Spaniard. It was excellent to see Nadal back in action, but he clearly has a lot of work to do if he’s to challenge for the Australian Open crown in two weeks' time.
Murray will meet Djokovic in the final on Saturday, as the current world No. 1 made quick work of Wawrinka in the second semifinal, winning 6-1, 6-2.
As shared by the tournament's official Twitter feed, the match took less than an hour to finish:
The Joker was in full control from the opening game, as Wawrinka struggled on his own serve and quickly fell behind 4-1. In fact, the only moment Djokovic appeared to be in trouble was when he injured his right thumb late in the first set.
During the short break, Wawrinka highlighted the fact this tournament is little more than an exhibition by playing a couple of rallies with one of the ball boys, to the delight of the crowd. Radio Sapienza's Daniela Dolce noted the hilarity of the situation:
The thumb didn't bother Djokovic in the slightest bit when play resumed, as he served his way to a 6-1 win in the first set.
He immediately broke Wawrinka's serve again in the second before saving four break points of his own, and another clean sweep in the next game seemed to crush Wawrinka's hopes of a comeback completely.
The Swiss was able to win a couple of games late in the second set but never threatened Djokovic on his own serve, and after 57 minutes, the match was over. As shared by Tenngrand.com's Ricky Dimon, he kept his comments brief:
Djokovic ended the 2014 season in blistering form and picked up right where he left off on Friday, and while the minor injury to his right thumb is cause for concern heading into the final against Murray, the Serb should be the strong favourite to win Saturday's match.
With the Australian Open set to kick off in just over two weeks, Djokovic appears ready to add another Grand Slam title to his name. Murray won't make things easy on him in Saturday, but looking at the Joker's recent form, it might not matter all that much.
Day 1 Recap
Given a bye as the top two seeds, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were offered a tantalizing show by their two remaining challengers. Murray earned a difficult three-set victory over Feliciano Lopez, while Stanley Wawrinka prepared for another hard-court run with a strong victory over Nicolas Almagro.
In the day's opening match, Murray was nearly eliminated at multiple points. The Scot needed a tiebreaker to take the first set and dropped the second before closing out a 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 victory to advance. He'll face Nadal in the semifinals, setting up a rematch of the inaugural World Tennis Championship.
Murray told reporters:
"I've played at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship a number of times now and I've always found it to be very good preparation, you always get a very good crowd. It's a great way to start the year to try and play some matches against the best players in the world and it gets you very sharp for the beginning of the year."
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Murray needed more than two hours to finish off the match, which could play a factor against Nadal. After trading breaks early in the first set, Murray and Lopez went to a break that did not go the underdog's way. Murray took seven of the eight points to win 7-1 and appeared to be taking control of the match.
Lopez responded with a strong second set, taking a key break to earn a 7-5 win and to force the deciding set. While the Spaniard faltered in the final set—he had multiple opportunities to seize control but failed to take advantage—nonetheless, it's a promising start heading into 2015.
Wawrinka, meanwhile, made no bones about jettisoning Almagro. The world No. 4 dispatched of the sixth-seeded Spaniard 6-3, 6-2 in a match that felt over from the outset. Wawrinka strong-armed his way through the first set and seemed poised to make a run at Djokovic, whom he'll face in the semifinals on Friday.
“Of course, I hope I can go on from Abu Dhabi and have success in Melbourne again, and I will be putting 100 percent into my matches to help me prepare as best I can,” Wawrinka told reporters coming into the week.
Wawrinka knows how to use the Abu Dhabi platform. Last year he used the tournament as a key tuneup, with his loss to David Ferrer helping him adjust his game in time for the Australian open. Wawrinka will look to defend his championship later this month.
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