The Middle East has distinguished itself to represent the pinnacle of luxury in the world. This fact holds most true in Dubai, often called the hub of the world. Dubai Tennis Championships is the highest-ranked ATP event in the Middle East also finds its home in the country. With players like the newly ascended no. 1 Novak Djokovic, and other top ATP Ranking Players set to play in Dubai Tennis Championships 2023, the tournament is one of the major events on the ATP Tour. Keep on reading to learn more about this competition.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Tournament
The Dubai Tennis Championships, also known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to sponsorship reasons, is an annual outdoor hard-court tournament held in the luxurious city of Dubai. As an ATP-sanctioned event, the competition is part of the ATP 500 series of events. It is also part of the WTA Tour and each year it alternates between being a WTA 500 and WTA 1000 event. This year marks the 31st edition of the event and the WTA 1000 event will be held alongside the ATP 500 competition. The venue is set at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre. The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is one of only 2 ATP events based in the Middle East. The title sponsor for the event, Duty-Free, is a retail outlet located in airports that sells goods exempt from local taxes and duties.
| Location | Dubai, UAE |
| Venue | Aviation Club Tennis Centre |
| Tour category | ATP 500 |
| Prize Money | $2,855,495 |
| Draw | 32 S, 16 D |
Dubai Tennis Championship 2023 Results
In singles, Daniil Medvedev 🇷🇺 wins the final between Russians at the Dubai Open by beating his Homestar fellow Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-2. This became18 titles for Daniil Medvedev’s career. After back to back 3 titles (ATP Rotterdam, ATP Qatar Open, and Dubai Tennis Championship) he is the third tennis player in the last three years to add a three-time consecutive championship (Ruud in 2021 and Auger in 2022).
In doubles championship, American star Maxime Cressy and French star Fabrice Martin clinched the ATP 500 DDF Tennis doubles title after defeating Finland star Harri Heliovaara & British Llyod Glasspool 7-6 6-4 in what is their debut tournament as a couple.
Dubai Tennis Championships History and Previous Winners
History
The Dubai Tennis Championships recently celebrated its 30th year anniversary on the ATP Tour. Its inaugural edition was first held in 1993 at the Aviation Club. Back then, the Club didn’t have a proper tennis court so a temporary setup was used. The tournament began as an ATP 250 event and it wasn’t until 2001 that the event was upgraded to become an ATP 500 series tournament. Since the beginning, the Dubai Tennis Championship has been held under the patronage of the ruler of Dubai, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Though the Dubai Tennis Championships have found a permanent home at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre and been instrumental in improving the local infrastructure, a Dubai tennis event was held prior as well. Before the 1990s, a Dubai tennis event was held in the British Embassy before it was succeeded by the Tennis Championships.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Winners
The Championships are a prestigious event and soo many of the world’s best throughout its history have played and won at the competition. Players like the Big Three, Thomas Muster, Jual Carlos Ferrero, Andy Murray, and Andy Roddick all have 2 things in common. All were former world no. 1s and Dubai Tennis Championship titlists. Among the champions, Roger Federer is easily the most recognizable. The Big Three member won a record 8 titles, including a joint-record of 3 consecutive titles with Novak Djokovic who also has the 2nd highest number of titles at the event with 5.
| Year | Singles Champion | Doubles Champions |
| 2023 | Daniil Medvedev | Harri Heliovaara / Llyod Glasspool |
| 2022 | Andrey Rublev | Michael Venus / Tim Putz |
| 2021 | Aslan Karatsev | Juan Sebastian Cabal / Robert Farah |
| 2020 | Novak Djokovic | John Peers / Michael Venus |
| 2019 | Roger Federer | Rajeev Ram / Joe Salisbury |
| 2018 | Roberto Bautista Agut | Jeal-Julien Rojer / Horia Tecau |
Dubai Tennis Championships Prize Money and Points
A total financial commitment of $3,020,535 was made for the event of which, $2,855,495 has been reserved as prize money. This value is a slight improvement compared to last year’s edition as in 2022, the total prize money was set at $2,749,840. The prize distribution is as follows:
| Stage | Singles Prize Money | Doubles Prize Money | ATP Points |
| Winner | $533,990 | $175,400 | 500 |
| Finals | $287,320 | $93,550 | 300 |
| Semi-finals | $153,125 | $47,340 | 190 |
| Quarter-Finals | $78,235 | $23,660 | 90 |
| 2nd Round | $41,765 | —— | 45 |
| 1st Round | $22,270 | $12,250 | 0 |
Keep in mind the prize fund and prize money distribution may be subject to change.
Dubai Tennis Championships Draws
The event will have 32 singles and 16 doubles draws that will be released as the tournament progresses.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis 2023 Dates
The main draw for the Dubai Tennis Championships will be held across 6 days from 27 February- 4 March with a qualifying round set for 2 days prior; on the 25th and 26th of February.
Dubai Tennis Championships 2023 Schedule
The schedule for the DDF tennis championships is as follows:
| Date | Singles Matches | Doubles Matches |
| 27th February | Round 1 | Round 1 |
| 28th February | Round 1 | Round 1 |
| 1st March | Round 2 | Round 1 |
| 2nd March | Quarter Final | Quarter Final |
| 3rd March | Semi Final | Semi Final |
| 4th March | Finale | Finale |
Keep in mind this schedule may be subject to change.
Dubai Tennis Championships 2023 Players List
The Dubai Tennis Championships have always brought together the best and highest-ranking players from around the world. This edition features 4 Top 10 players and numerous other top 30 players. As top seed, we have the newly ascended world no. 1 Novak Djokovic leading the singles competition. The Serbian trailblazer is a veteran at Dubai with 5 previous titles.
Following him, we have Andrey Rublev, the reigning champion who will have a go at possibly winning a consecutive title. Youngsters like Felix-Auger Aliassime, Hubert Hurcrkacz, and Karen Khaxhanov will also be present. Even Andy Murray, a former titlist and former no.1, has received a wildcard to play at the event. Other notable players former no. 2 Alexander Zverev, former no. 1 Daniil Medvedev, Borna Coric, and Roberto Bautista Agut are main draw entrants. The full player list is given below:
Dubai Duty Free Tennis 2023 Singles Top Seeds
| Seed | Player | Ranking |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | 1 |
| 2 | Andrey Rublev | 5 |
| 3 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | 8 |
| 4 | Hubert Hurkacz | 10 |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev | 11 |
| 6 | Karen Khachanov | 13 |
| 7 | Pablo Carreno Busta | 16 |
| 8 | Alexander Zverev | 17 |
Remaining Players
| Player | Ranking |
| Borna Coric | 21 |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | 24 |
| Daniel Evans | 29 |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 31 |
| Botic Van de Zandschulp | 35 |
| Jack Draper (withdrew) | 38 |
| Maxime Cressy | 40 |
| Marc-Andrea Husler | 47 |
| Benjamin Bonzi | 48 |
| Alexander Bublik | 50 |
| Emil Ruusuvori | 52 |
| Jiri Lehecka | 53 |
| Constant Listienne | 54 |
| Lorenzo Sonego | 60 |
| Filip Krajinović | 67 |
| Andy Murray (WC) – Withdraw | 70 |
| Lloyd Harris (SR) | 157 |
Dubai Tennis Singles Wild Card Entries
- Andy Murray (withdraw)
- Malek Jaziri
- Thanasi Kokkinakis
- Alexei Popyrin
- Matteo Arnaldi (lucky loser)
- Quentin Halys (lucky loser)
Dubai Tennis 2023 Doubles Main Draw Entry
| Seed | Players | Ranking |
| 1 | Nikola Mektić / Mate Pavić | 15 |
| 2 | Ivan Dodig / Austin Krajicek | 19 |
| 3 | Lloyd Glasspool / Harri Heliövaara | 23 |
| 4 | Hugo Nys / Jan Zieliński | 36 |
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:
Dubai Tennis Championships 2023 Tickets
Tickets for the Dubai Tennis Championships can be purchased online from Platinumlist. Standard tickets apply per day and there are no day/night sessions throughout the event. Tickets are available in 3 categories: Grandstand, Prime B, and Prime A. Grandstand tickets are available as daily and full-tournament passes, Prime B tickets are available only as full-tournament passes, and lastly, Prime A tickets are only available as daily tickets. Grandstand and Prime B tickets can be purchased from Platinumlist while Prime A tickets can only be booked through email. The starting price for the tickets is $15.44. To learn more about the tickets and categories, click the link below.