With just over a week to go until the Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2013, Flash Entertainment has revealed an action-packed schedule of off-court activities on Day One of the tournament, December 26th. Designed with youngsters in mind, Kids Day will see crowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga headline at Tennis Village with a special appearance. Young fans will be given the chance to meet their hero and put him on the spot during Kids Question Time from 3.00pm, as part of the tournament’s commitment to inspiring a new generation of tennis players in the UAE.

This year, Kids Day will come to life from 2.00pm with nine activity stations focusing on encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle. From tennis-style keep-up challenges to a healthy living inspiration board, the stakes will be high as youngsters who visit all nine stations will be in with a chance to win fantastic prizes - including signed merchandise from their tennis heroes,astay at Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi and tickets to Ferrari World and Yas Waterworld. Winners of the annual Mubadala Community Cup will also be in action throughout the day as world number four David Ferrer and current Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray put them through their paces in coaching clinics.

There will be plenty of opportunity for older fans to soak up the buzz of the tournament too when the top two players in the world, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, make appearances for autograph sessions in Tennis Village scheduled from 3.45pm. The championship atmosphere continues throughout the weekend with the hugely popular live entertainment stage, family picnic area and Mubadala Interactive Zone all making a welcome return this year.

World number ten Jo-Wilfried Tsonga commented:

“I’ve played in Abu Dhabi twice now and one of the things I enjoy the most about the tournament is the time we get to spend off the court too; interacting and hitting balls with youngstersis not something we have time to do in every city we visit. The tournament does a great job in inspiring young people to take up tennis and live an active lifestyle, and I’m looking forward to being a part of that during Kids Day this year.”

After a grilling from fans in Tennis Village, Tsonga will then take to centre court for the second match of the tournament where he faces world number four Andy Murray. If the pair’s head-to-head record is anything to go by, the Frenchman will have his work cut out for him, trailing 8-1 to the Brit. However, with both players suffering injury towards the end of the 2013 season, it is all to play for and a place against world number two Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals awaits.

Tsonga continued:

“My pre-season training has been going well and I’ll be spending some time in the UAE before the tournament which will give me a chance to acclimatize to the warm weather. Murray will certainly be a tough opponent but I’m looking forward to playing some competitive tennis again and can’t wait to get in front of the Abu Dhabi crowds.”
Six of the world’s top ten players will compete for the title in Abu Dhabi and 2013 marks the strongest line-up in the tournament’s history with all three previous champions returning to the capital in December. The unique combination of a ‘winner takes all’ prize of $250,000, the world’s best players and a championship format that takes fans on day one immediately to the equivalent of a Grand Slam quarter final guarantees explosive performances and attacking tennis on centre court.

The annual Mubadala World Tennis Championship takes place from 26th to 28th December 2013 at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex, Zayed Sports City. For fans that don’t want to miss out on the tournament’s strongest line-up yet, tickets are on salefrom www.ticketmaster.ae and in selected Virgin Megastores, or call 800 TM UAE (800 86 823) with prices starting from AED 50 for children and AED 100 for adults.
 

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