Dubai Tennis Championships used to run on different names, depending on the name of the main sponsor. Currently this championship is called Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Dubai Tennis Championships is regarded as one of the main events in the sports life of Dubai.
Tennis is a great sport, originating from France where people started to play it in the 14th Century. Tennis is a very active sport, it needs lots of activity while playing it and it needs a partner to play with. Currently it is tennis that is the most widely, played sport all over the world. The tennis courts give place to many company leisure meetings. There are tennis competitions held all over the world. Dubai has very good characteristics to house tennis events, especially in the winter or springtime. The main championships are called Grand Slams; these are the Australian Open, The French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S Open. The tournaments or grand slams have specific schedules, so that one can follow the other in time. The first is the Australian Open starting in January and the last one is the U.S Open ending in mid September.
Interestingly, this championship is also one of the oldest international events ever held in Dubai. The first Dubai Tennis Championships tournament was held in 1993. This tournament is played on hard ground, the competitions are held outdoors. The championship is held in the Aviation Club Tennis Centre, a huge tennis complex, which is able to accommodate 5000 viewers.
Dubai Tennis Championships is a great and very popular event to watch all over the world. The only problem was during one tournament in 2008 that occurred in connection with an Israeli Tennis player who was not allowed to take part in the championship in Dubai due to political reasons. Because of this, many international players had pulled out of this championship as a protest.
The Dubai Tennis Championships are held annually and traditionally, the whole event being sponsored by the ruling Sheikh of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. During the tournament, there are both single and pair competitions. The prize for the winner of Dubai Tennis Championships is more than 2 million US dollars.
The winner of most tournaments is the Swiss multiple world champion Roger Federer for singles’ men’s tournament and the Belgian Justine Henin for women singles’. The winner of the latest three Dubai Tennis Championships in men’s single was Croatian Novak Djokovic.
The tournaments of Dubai Tennis Championships have worldwide broadcastings, by all the main sports and general channels. The championship is held from the middle of February, when the weather in Dubai equals a milder summer or mid-spring temperature, this year’s competition was held from 14th to 26th February.
Dubai offers a high number of different fields for everyone who would like to enjoy playing this game while staying there. If you happen to be in this great metropolis by the time of the Dubai Tennis Championships, then do not hesitate to go to follow some of the tournaments there.
