Aryna Sabalenka (above), fresh off her recent US Open triumph, will return to the World Tennis League alongside World No.1 Iga Swiątek. The World Tennis League (WTL) has unveiled a star-studded lineup of players for its third season, scheduled to take place at the iconic Etihad Arena from Dec.19 to 22, 2024.
The stellar lineup, featuring two Olympic gold medalists, five Grand Slam champions, six of the top 12 male players, and six of the top 10 female players, is set to assemble at the Etihad Arena as the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), and Miral once again gear up to host ‘The Greatest Show on Court’.
The 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcíkova (Women’s World No. 10) and Women’s Doubles Paris 2024 Gold Medalist Jasmine Paolini (Women’s World No. 5) will make their debut, while as many as 14 tennis superstars are set to return to the World Tennis League 2024, which promises to be bigger and more exciting.
Aryna Sabalenka (Women’s World No. 2), fresh off her recent US Open triumph, will return to the World Tennis League alongside World No. 1 Iga Swiątek, who secured the Bronze Medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics as well as her third consecutive French Open title earlier this year.
The lineup also includes top female players such as Women’s Doubles Paris 2024 Silver Medalist Mirra Andreeva (Women’s World No. 22), Elena Rybakina (Women’s World No. 4), Paula Badosa (Women’s World No. 19), and Caroline Garcia (Women’s World No. 36).
Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev (Men’s World No. 5) and Andrey Rublev (Men’s World No. 6), who were part of the WTL 2023 title-winning team PBG Eagles, will compete again at the competition, along with 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz (Men’s World No. 7), Hubert Hurkacz (Men’s World no. 8) and Casper Ruud (Men’s World No. 9).
Among the male stars, Stefanos Tsitsipas (Men’s World No. 12), Sumit Nagal (Men’s World No. 83) and Aussie sensation Nick Kyrgios will also return for one of the biggest sporting events in Abu Dhabi.
The previous edition of the WTL attracted over 20,000 attendees and was broadcast live in more than 125 countries. The event also featured world-class artists performing at the Yas Island.
Last year, the PBG Eagles defeated Team Kites 29-26 in the second edition for the coveted trophy.
US Open Champion, Medvedev and Rublev led PBG Eagles won the World Tennis League title.
In the finals played at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi the PBG Eagles defeated Team Kites in the thriller.
PBG Eagles were bang on with the formidable combinations of players. Despite losing their opening mixed doubles tie, where the Medvedev-Mirra Andreeva pair went down to Paula Badosa-Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (5-7) in a tie-breaker, PBG Eagles returned with a bang to register victories in women’s doubles, men’s doubles and women’s singles.
Andreeva and Sofia Kenin defeated Badosa and Aryna Sabalenka overcame a stiff challenge to score a 7-5 win in the women’s doubles category.
Medvedev and Rublev had a rather easy outing against Dimitrov and Lloyd Harris, scoring a 6–3 victory as a men’s doubles pair.
Meanwhile, India’s top singles player, Nagal, is set to participate in the upcoming World Tennis League.
While it remains unclear which team Nagal, currently ranked 83rd in the world, will join.
Legendary rock musician Bryan Adams will perform in the third season of the WTL.
Past editions featured performances by global sensations such as Tiesto, DeadMau5, Wiz Kid, Armin Van Buuren, 50 Cent and Ne-Yo. Bryan Adams joins the fold of iconic headliners in a live performance on Dec.19, concluding the opening day of the WTL 2024 at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island.
The UAE has a proven record of successfully staging the world-class sporting event since the outbreak of coronavirus brought the world to its knees.
