The stars of men's tennis will light up the Middle East swing as the Dubai Championships take center stage from February 26th to March 2nd.
The draw for this ATP 500 tournament was recently released, in which all 32 men competing in the main draw learned the identity of their first-round opponents and routes to the title. The event is led by World No. 4 and defending champion Daniil Medvedev.
The Russian is making his return to competition since departing Melbourne with a runner-up trophy. Medvedev will also have an additional coach in his corner after hiring former World No. 6 Gilles Simon. The top seed has a tricky opener against new Kazakh national Alexander Shevchenko.
Jakub Mensik's spectacular run to his maiden ATP final in Doha has earned him a spot in the main draw of Dubai as a special exemption entrant. The Czech teenager will face Borna Coric.
India's Sumit Nagal is enjoying a career-best year, and it is only February. He is one of three wild cards and plays Lorenzo Sonego in his opener. The winner of this clash will most likely meet Medvedev in the second round.
There is an interesting first-round battle in the top half, pitting Ugo Humbert and Gael Monfils. The two Frenchmen crossed paths in Doha, where Monfils won in straight sets. Fifth-seeded Humbert will have revenge on his mind.
Andy Murray's terrible start to 2024 could have another low. He has been handed a tough opening match against Canadian left-hander Denis Shapovalov. Third seed Hubert Hurkacz plays Jan-Lennard Struff in a match that will likely feature at least double-digit aces.
In the bottom half, former champion Andrey Rublev will look to bounce back from his shocking defeat in Doha. The World No. 5 takes on Zhizhen Zhang to begin his campaign. In-form Alexander Bublik will play a qualifier.
Abedallah Shelbayh is a wild card entrant and will receive the lion's share of support from Arab fans. The Jordanian will face Tallon Griekspoor. The winner of that match will likely meet Bublik in the second round.
There is a Doha rematch between Karen Khachanov and Alexei Popyrin in the first round. Sixth seed Adrian Mannarino will play Botic van de Zandschulp. The entire draw can be seen down below.
2024 Dubai Championships ATP Draw:
| 1 | Daniil Medvedev (1) |
| 2 | Alexander Shevchenko |
| 3 | Sumit Nagal (WC) |
| 4 | Lorenzo Sonego |
| 5 | Jakub Mensik (SE) |
| 6 | Borna Coric |
| 7 | Fabian Marozsan |
| 8 | Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (8) |
| 9 | Hubert Hurkacz (3) |
| 10 | Jan-Lennard Struff |
| 11 | Qualifier |
| 12 | Christopher O'Connell |
| 13 | Denis Shapovalov (PR) |
| 14 | Andy Murray |
| 15 | Gael Monfils (WC) |
| 16 | Ugo Humbert (5) |
| 17 | Alexander Bublik (7) |
| 18 | Qualifier |
| 19 | Tallon Griekspoor |
| 20 | Abdullah Shelbayh (WC) |
| 21 | Jiri Lehecka |
| 22 | Qualifier |
| 23 | Alexei Popyrin |
| 24 | Karen Khachanov (4) |
| 25 | Adrian Mannarino (6) |
| 26 | Botic van de Zandschulp |
| 27 | Pavel Kotov |
| 28 | Sebastian Korda |
| 29 | Lorenzo Musetti |
| 30 | Qualifier |
| 31 | Zhizhen Zhang |
| 32 | Andrey Rublev (2) |
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