Debutants Casper Ruud and Denis Shapovalov to open three-day Championship, followed by Murray against Dominic Thiem ABU DHABI: Two-time champion Andy Murray has been confirmed as the eighth and final player for the 13th Mubadala World Tennis Championship, which returns this year on Dec. 16-18 at the International Tennis Centre in Abu Dhabi. The signing of crowd favourite Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion and double Olympic singles gold medallist, completes the line-up in Zayed Sports City. Murray, MWTC champion in 2009 and 2015, joins a field featuring three of the world’s top 10 male players: Andrey Rublev (No.5), Rafael Nadal (No.6) and Norwegian star Casper Ruud (No.8). With Denis Shapovalov (No.14) and Dominic Thiem (No.15) also lining up, this year’s Championship also boasts five of the world’s top 15. “I’ve got many happy memories of Abu Dhabi and I’m looking forward to returning,” said Murray. “With Emma (Raducanu) also playing on day one, we will be flying the flag for British tennis and looking to put on a strong display.” This year, the Mubadala World Tennis Championship makes a return with full capacity crowds, and the draw has created some intriguing matches. On Day 1 Casper Ruud, winner of the most ATP titles in 2021, takes on Wimbledon semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov in the Championship’s opening match on 16 December. That will be followed by Dominic Thiem’s return to competitive tennis when he plays Murray. The opening day will be closed by the much-anticipated women’s match between US Open champion Emma Raducanu and Tokyo Olympics singles gold medallist Belinda Bencic, a rematch of their US Open quarter-final, which Raducanu won on the way to her fairytale Grand Slam victory in New York. On Day 2 defending champion Rafa Nadal will take on either Thiem or Murray and Andrey Rublev will face the winner of Ruud and Shapovalo. On the final day of the three-day festival the third-place play-off will be followed by the final. “The draw is always a milestone moment, but it feels a bit extra special this year as we look forward to the return of our Championship with full capacity,” said John Lickrish, CEO, Flash Entertainment. “Andy has a special place in Abu Dhabi as the first champion on this tournament back in 2009. With his return completing our line-up, this year’s field is one of the strongest in the Championship’s history with the perfect blend of youth and experience, Abu Dhabi crowd favourites and exciting debutants. It’s shaping up to be a fantastic three-day festival on and off court.”