With the countdown to the 2013 Mubadala World Tennis Championship in full swing, tournament organizer Flash Entertainment has confirmed an additional centre court tie-up will take place on day two of the Championship as a fifth/sixth place play-off is added to the match schedule.

For the first time ever in the tournament’s history, all six of the stellar line-up will be in action on the same day. With the promise of three explosive matches from six of the top ten players in the world, Fan Friday isunmissable for any UAE sports fan.

This means regardless of results on Thursday, fans have a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the top four players in the world on centre court.Rafael Nadal,Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and David Ferrer, alongside world number eight StanislasWawrinka and crowd favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, are all confirmed to feature in three back to back matches.

The exciting newplay-off match has been added to this year’s tournament schedule in response to direct requests from players for more time on court and more match practiceas they prepare for the first Grand Slam of the 2014 season.

World number four, Andy Murray said:

“Abu Dhabi is a fantastic opportunity for all of us after the off season; to play competitively and to train in the warm weather ahead of the Australian Open in January. The extra match is definitely a welcome addition and helps preparation - hopefully a full crowd on Friday will help create a great atmosphere.”

The fifth/sixth place play off will see the losers of Wawrinka v. Ferrer and Murray v. Tsonga from day one kick off a full day of action at 12.30pm on Fan Friday. Djokovic will make his 2013 tournament debut in the first semi-final at 3pm, followed by Nadal in the second semi-final to close out the day.

But the buzz of the tournament is not just confined to centre court on Fan Friday. The Tennis Village will open at an earlier time of 10.00am to make way for the second instalment of this year’s Mubadala Community Cup Dubai vs. Abu Dhabi play offs, with the Community Cup winners taking part in coaching clinics with Nadal and Wawrinka. The Village will come alive with autograph signing sessions from two star players in the morning and the ever-popular live entertainment stage, Mubadala Interactive Zone and family picnic area will also be making welcome returns to the village this year.

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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