Why top tennis players have made Dubai their second home

Did you know that the majority of the world’s best tennis players who arrive in Dubai every year to play in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships are also Dubai residents?

Serbian icon Novak Djokovic leads the list of elite players who hold UAE Golden Visa.

Djokovic didn't return this year to Dubai, a tournament he has won five times.

But this year's tournament also included a host of players with UAE residence visas.

Australian Open champion Aryana Sabalenka, Paula Badosa, Elena Rybakina and Veronika Kudermetova are among the Dubai residents from Women's Tour.

Several players on the Men's Tour, including world number five Andrey Rublev, who reached the semifinals on Thursday, Alexei Popyrin, Karen Khachanov, Borna Coric, Denis Shapovalov and Sumit Nagal have also made Dubai their second home.

It’s in Dubai that many of the world’s top players train during the winter break every year before they travel to Australia for the first Grand Slam of the tennis calendar.

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Salah Tahlak, COO of Dubai Duty Free and Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, reveals why Dubai holds a special place in every star’s heart.

“There are many cities around the world, they say, 'We do this, we have this'. But whatever Dubai says, Dubai delivers, Dubai offers everything. Dubai is a great city and it’s also the safest city in the world,” Tahlak told the Khaleej Times.

“That’s why we are very proud. The facilities in Dubai are top-class, everything is available here. You can own a house here. We have the best restaurants serving the best cuisines, even the cycling tracks by the beach are amazing, you won’t find such wonderful facilities anywhere else in the world.”

Then it’s Dubai’s central location, which offers a bridge between the East and the West, also attracts the globe-trotting tennis superstars.

“Of course, what also helps us is that we have the amazing Dubai Airport and the Emirates Airlines. Dubai Airport is connected to 256 airports around the world. You can travel anywhere, at any given time, through Dubai Airport, through Emirates Airline,” he said.

Rublev, who won the Dubai tournament in 2022, says Dubai is the most comfortable city for professional tennis players.

“You can get anything you want here. Like in practice sessions, the gyms, tennis courts, you have amazing facilities here,” he had told the Khaleej Times during an interview.

“Everything is easy here, you can get any delivery from any restaurant and supermarket any time of the day. I remember once I had no water in my house, and it was almost 1 in the night, but I made an order, and they delivered it in 10 minutes," he said.

"I don't think you have facilities like this in some other big cities. So this makes life very easy in Dubai.

“And if it’s just for tennis, I would say there are a few places in the world that are good for off-season, and Dubai is one of them!”

Meanwhile, Sabalenka, who trained at the Palm, Atlantis, in the pre-season before flying to Australia and defending her Australian Open title, says Dubai allows players to find the perfect balance between life on and off the court.

"The weather is beautiful, the tennis courts are great, so many things to do outside of tennis," the Belarusian told the Khaleej Times.

"So in the pre-season when you are training hard, it’s important to do something outside of tennis, you need something to have fun, relax and separate yourself from tennis."

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