Hi, Sunil here to talk about Dubai tennis

Tennis championships in Dubai have seen face offs between the biggest names of world.

During my most recent visit as I write this discussion (2008), I saw a ton of Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer posters all over Dubai. (2012 Update: My recent visit had posters of neither!)

But these are just the recent stars of world Tennis.

Since 1993, Dubai has hosted its annual Dubai Tennis Championships (DTC) that have reached across the world and brought together some of the biggest names in the sport to this Middle Eastern kingdom commencing a battle on the hard courts.

Needless to say, this event has grown by leaps and bounds, as most everything in Dubai tends to do, and if you’re a tennis fan today, you would probably be glued to the television watching the tournament when it starts, wishing that you could be there.

Brief History of the Dubai Tennis Championships

As most sport events in Dubai, it is held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai that has done so much for sports over the years, by both bringing them to Dubai, and revolutionizing them in the process.

Owned, and organized, by the Dubai Duty Free Company, the men’s and women’s events actually go by the names of Dubai Duty Free Men’s and Women’s Championships, and are part of the ATP and WTA tours respectively. Since Barclays became a major sponsor, the tournaments name has since become known as the Barclays DTC.

In truth, it was the men’s championship that started out first, in 1993, with the women’s version only following later in 2001. Still, today both men and women in singles and doubles categories all compete in their respective events in pursuit of prize money that amounts to one million US dollars.

The event itself has expanded, and reaches out to tennis fans and general sports enthusiasts alike. If you happen to like tennis, you probably already know that some of the greatest moments in the sport take place in this tournament, making it a fixture of every fan’s calendar.

Great Moments at the Dubai Tennis Championships

Arguably the biggest upset of the championships, or perhaps even tennis in general, occurred when Mikhail Youzhny trounced Rafael Nadal, the previous finalist, in straight sets to claim a spot in the 2007 finals where he met with Roger Federer.

It came as a shock to tennis fans across the globe, that he beat Nadal, however less shocking was the manner in which Federer disposed of Youzhny to clinch his 4th title at the DTC.

Indeed, Federer himself certainly has made his mark in the DTC down the years, as too has Justine Henin Hardene on the women’s side of the court. She, like Federer, has also seen victory in the DTC four times. Both are crowd favorites, and get that warm Dubai reception when they take to the courts.

Tennis looks set to continue to thrive under the warm Dubai sun, and the prospect of increased sports facilities with the brand new Dubai Sports City nearing completion should not be overlooked.

Perhaps, someday in the future, the Dubai Tennis Championships will be won by one of their very own; it really seems that it could happen given the way in which the nation has embraced developing sports.