Medvedev, Sabalenka lead host of stars at Dubai Tennis Championships

Former champions Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, defending champion Jasmine Paolini and World Number 1 Aryna Sabalenka will all feature in a star-studded line up at this year's Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships which start on February 16.

Medvedev, the 2023 champion, is heading to Dubai after a challenging season in which he finished without a title for the first time since 2017.

Currently ranked World No. 5, the 28-year-old Russian boasts an impressive 20 career titles, including the 2021 US Open. Despite ending his year with a defeat at the Nitto ATP Finals, Medvedev will be looking to get 2025 off on the right foot by reclaiming his crown in Dubai.

Rublev, the 2022 champion, meanwhile is currently ranked World No. 9 after claiming two ATP titles in 2024, picking up trophies at the Madrid Open and Hong Kong Open.

With 16 career titles to his name, the 27-year-old stands as a strong contender for another successful campaign in Dubai.

Adding to the men’s roster is Alex De Minaur, currently ranked World No. 8. The 25-year-old Australian reached a career-high ranking of World No. 6 in July 2024 and has secured nine ATP singles titles.

Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas, ranked World No. 11, brings additional firepower to the competition. A former World No. 3, Tsitsipas’s career highlights include an ATP Finals victory and multiple Grand Slam final appearances, including at the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Completing the confirmed line-up is World No. 19 Karen Khachanov, a 28-year-old renowned for his performances in high-stakes matches. A former World No. 8, Khachanov memorably defeated Novak Djokovic in the 2018 Paris Masters final to claim his biggest career title and reached the men’s singles final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, a star-studded WTA line up will see the world’s top 10 female players descend upon Dubai for the 25th anniversary of the city’s women’s tournament.

Defending champion Jasmine Paolini, World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, World No. 2 Iga Swiatek, who won a third consecutive French Open in 2024, and World No. 3 Coco Gauff lead the pack.

The emirate’s long-standing tennis championships will again run as back-to-back competitions, with the WTA week getting under way on February 16, immediately followed by the ATP event on February 24.