Scot will join two other past winners, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, for the 2024 event.
Andy Murray is the latest big name to be announced for the 2024 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
After a two-year break, the three-time Grand Slam champion and double Olympic gold medalist returns to the competition for his eighth appearance. Murray, winner of 46 ATP Tour singles titles, won the trophy in Dubai in 2017.
The Scot joins a quality competition that features incumbent champion Daniil Medvedev and 2022 champion Andrey Rublev, both former winners.
“We are thrilled to have three former champions in Andy, Andrey, and Daniil participating, which highlights the importance of this tournament,” stated Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free.
Other notable names competing in the men’s tournament include world No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz, last year’s Australian Open semi-finalist and current world No. 18 Karen Khachanov, five-time ATP Tour singles title winner Adrian Mannarino, and former Wimbledon finalist and Australian Open semi-finalist Milos Raonic. The competition lasts from February 26 until March 2.
Salah Tahlak, Joint COO of Dubai Duty Free and Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, stated, “We’re thrilled to have Andy, Andrey, and Daniil back to Dubai this year. They are all incredibly popular figures in the tennis community, so having these kind of players compete in the tournament is fantastic news for us.”
Murray, 36, was defeated in straight sets by Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round of the Australian Open last month, raising worries about his future.
Murray, in reaction to an article stating that if he continued to play, he would tarnish his legacy, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Tarnishing my legacy? Do me a favor. I’m in a bad mood right now, I’ll admit it.
“Most individuals would quit and give up in my current situation. But I am not like most people, and my mind operates differently. I’m not going to quit. I will continue to struggle and endeavor to provide the performances that I know I am capable of.”
Meanwhile, a star-studded WTA lineup will bring 17 of the world’s top-20 players to Dubai for the 24th edition of the WTA Tour, which was recently accorded permanent WTA 1000 status.
Nine of the world’s top ten female players will be in the UAE for the newest installment. The formidable bunch is led by world number one Iga Swiatek, world number two Aryna Sabalenka, who just won her second consecutive Australian Open title, and world number three Coco Gauff. The women’s event, as is customary, will take place one week before the ATP event, from February 18 to 24.
