The ATP part of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will be held beginning Monday, February 24. The event will run through Saturday, March 1. To be sure, none of the top four players on the ATP tour will be playing, but that only makes the field more wide open. That should mean more fun.
Of course, top-ranked Jannik Sinner will not be playing anywhere as he is currently suspended due to two failed drug tests last March. He can return in early May. No. 2 Alexander Zverev chose to spend his February in South America's clay court tournaments.
The Dubai Tennis Championships began in 1993. Roger Federer holds the record for most titles won at the event with eight. Over the years, Novak Djokovic has also won several, and Rafael Nadal won the title as well. The tournament is a well-respected one.
Everything you need to know about the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
What is the schedule and dates for the Dubai Tennis Championships?
- Main Draw: Monday 24 February - Saturday 1 March
- Monday-Thursday sessions starting at 2 pm (5 am ET)
- Friday semifinals sessions start at 1 pm (4 am ET)
- Doubles Final: Saturday 1 March at 4:30 pm (7:30 am ET)
- Singles Final: Saturday 1 March at 7 pm (10 am ET)
The tournament is held on hard courts, and the matches take place at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
How you can watch the Dubai Tennis Championships
In the United States, the place to watch is on the Tennis Channel. Fans in South America can watch on ESPN International. If you live in the UK, you can see the tournament on Sky. Those tennis fans in Australia, and we know there are a bunch of them, can watch and stream on beIN Sports Australia.
For an entire breakdown of where to watch, you can click here. Anywhere you are, there will be a channel for you.
Who are the top seeds at the Dubai Tennis Championships?
1. Daniil Medvedev (ranked 6)
2. Alex de Minaur (ranked 8)
3. Andrey Rublev (ranked 9)
4. Stefanos Tsitsipas (ranked 11)
5. Ugo Humbert (ranked 15)
6. Grigor Dimitrov (ranked 16)
Rublev might be the favorite entering the tournament as he is currently on the best run of the top seeds. He won last week's Qatar Open. Tsitsipas is struggling mightily over the last six months, and there is no expectation that he is going to be in-form anytime soon.
What is the prize money and points for the Dubai Tennis Championships?
The tournament is a 500 event, and that might be why a lot of other top players did not make the trip. The WTA part of the Dubai tournament, which was held last week and won by Mirra Andreeva, was a 1000 event. The prize money is good, but not great.
SINGLES
Winner: $605,530 / 500 points
Finalist: $325,780 / 330 points
Semi-finalist: $173,620 / 200 points
Quarter-finalist: $88,700 / 100 points
Second Round: $47,350 / 50 points
First Round: $25,250 / 0 points
DOUBLES ($ per team)
Winner: $198,880 / 500 points
Finalist: $106,060 / 300 points
Semi-finalist: $53,660 / 180 points
Quarter-finalist: $26,840 / 90 points
First Round: $13,890 / 0 points