The World Tennis League is back with its second edition, which starts on December 21, 2023 and ends on December 24, 2023. Just like last year, plenty of top players have signed up to compete.
World No. 1 and four-time Major champion Iga Swiatek is the biggest name in the mix. Her fellow top-10 cohorts Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina are also in the fray.
On the men’s side, World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev is the highest-ranked player in the field. Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev and three-time Major runner-up Casper Ruud are some of the other well-known names set to participate.
With the regular tennis season about to commence soon, this is an opportunity for players to get a headstart in a relatively relaxed environment. On that note, here are all the details regarding the tournament:
What is the World Tennis League?
The World Tennis League is a mixed gender exhibition event held in Abu Dhabi, which was started just last year. It combines the biggest names in tennis with some electric musical performances by well-known artists.
The players have been drawn into four teams and will go head-to-head against each other in the group stage. Each tie consists of a mixed doubles match along with men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and women’s doubles matches. The top two teams advance to the final.
Venue
The 2023 World Tennis League will be held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Players and Teams
16 players are part of the 2023 World Tennis League, and they have been split evenly into four teams. Daniil Medvedev leads Team Eagles, which also features his compatriots Andrey Rublev and Mirra Andreeva. 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin completes the line-up.
Team Falcons is made up of Taylor Fritz, Elena Rybakina, Leylah Fernandez and Sumit Nagal. Team Hawks is perhaps the most well-rounded, with Iga Swiatek, Hubert Hurkacz, Casper Ruud and Caroline Garcia in its ranks.
Reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka and World No. 14 Grigor Dimitrov, along with tennis couple Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa, make up Team Kites. For Badosa, it’ll be the first match since her second-round retirement from Wimbledon in July.
Schedule and Order of Play
The tournament runs from December 21-24. The group stage will begin at 3 p.m. local time, and will be played on the first three days of the event. The final is scheduled for December 24, with the proceedings set to commence at 6 p.m. local time.
Where to watch
Viewers can keep up with the happenings at the World Tennis League on the following channels and sites:
USA: The matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
Australia: Fans Down Under will be able to watch the tournament on Stan Sport.
India: Viewers in the country will be able to see the matches on Jio Cinema and Sports 18.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.
