World number five David Ferrer kicks off the Mubadala World Tennis Championships on Thursday against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
With the start of the 2012 season just days away, the eyes of the tennis world will be firmly fixed on Abu Dhabi for this exclusive season-opening exhibition event which features five of the world's top ten.
Tsonga enjoyed a blistering end to 2011, reaching the final of the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals and the Frenchman believes he has a great shot at making the top five. He has an immediate chance to prove his point when he squares off against the tour's Mr Consistent, David Ferrer, on Thursday.
“We’ve only played each other twice before on the tour and we’ve won one each. That and our world rankings mean it couldn’t be any closer. David’s a really tough opponent. He never gives up and chases down every single point as if it’s the last. Of course, so do I, which is why I’m looking forward to opening the Mubadala World Championships against him,” Tsonga told the press.
“I played for the first time in Abu Dhabi last year and it was wonderful. The competition is hard, the crowds are great, the climate is perfect and it always nice to see a new generation of tennis players at the championship and Tennis Village. I’m sure will be the same this time. It’s just a great way to start the tennis year and I can’t wait.”
It's a straight knockout event and the winner of this one will go on to play defending champion Rafa Nadal in Friday's semi-finals. Tsonga often produces his best tennis right at the start of the year and he's 4/6 favourite with
bet365.
