Former World No6 Gael Monfils, Jordanian youngster Abdullah Shelbayh and No1 ranked Indian player Sumit Nagal, have all accepted wildcards to compete at the 32nd edition of this week’s ATP tournament at the ongoing Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
At 37 years and five months, Monfils is proving age is very much just a number; defeating Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-4 at the Qatar Open this week to become the oldest semifinalist in the tournament’s history.
Shelbayh, ranked 230 in the world, put in an impressive performance during the same tournament to push Australian World No46 Alexei Popyrin to three sets in his first-round tie.
The 20-year-old demonstrated impressive, aggressive net play during an encouraging display, which saw him win the opening set, before succumbing to a 6-3, 3-6, 4-6 defeat.
Nagal, meanwhile, is a 2015 Wimbledon boys’ doubles winner who reached a career-high of No98 after capturing the ATP Challenger Tour title in Chennai earlier this month.
“It is great to welcome back Gael to Dubai for a fourth time,” Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free. “Having such an experienced and big-name player among our wildcards this year is great news for us. We are also pleased to have a young emerging talent like Abdullah competing and India’s top-ranked player in Sumit.”
Salah Tahlak, Joint COO of Dubai Duty Free and Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, added: “We’re delighted to have the likes of Gael, Abdullah, and Sumit participating in this year’s tournament, adding to the quality and experience that we already have on offer during ATP week.”