Murray, Djokovic add spice to 25th anniversary edition

‘That this edition has attracted Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray is a great privilege for the tournament’

Happy New Year everyone! And wouldn’t it make for a great start to 2017 when you get to see the top two tennis players in the world in action, right in front of your eyes? The 2017 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, which begins tomorrow, will see world No. 1 Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in action. And everybody will be hoping for a high-octane final involving these two gladiators.
To make matters even more special, this is the 25th anniversary of the tournament. A quarter of a century since the top tennis players in the world started making Qatar their first stop on the calendar. “We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year. During these years, this Qatar ExxonMobil Open has become one of the best tournaments in the 250 series. All the top players are keen to participate here,” said Tariq Darwish Zainal, QTF Secretary General during the press conference yesterday.   
“That this edition has attracted Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray is a great privilege for the tournament. It’s a great way to celebrate this momentous 25th anniversary milestone,” he added.
Title sponsors ExxonMobil announced yesterday that they have extended their support for three years, until 2019. “What a better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this tournament than to announce that we have signed a new three-year contract, till 2019,” said Allistair Routledge, President and General Manager ExxonMobil Qatar yesterday.
“This tournament has risen and grown in leaps and bounds over the years. It’s great to see the top two players of the world come to Qatar. A hallmark of this tournament is that the top players of the world want to come here,” he added.  
ExxonMobil has been the title sponsor for 23 years and have been associated with the event for all of its 25 years. QTF Secretary General thanked the title sponsors for their continued support. “I would like to thank ExxonMobil for their support. We’re proud of this partnership. They are keen on developing sport in Qatar and in the region. I would also like to thank other sponsors for their continued support,” said Zainal yesterday.
“ExxonMobil has so many goals including development of tennis on Qatar. They also support our national players. This will help develop the national community here in Qatar. It will also help increase tourism during the coming years. We hope the partnership lasts for more than three years,” he added.
Having achieved this milestone of 25 years is also a momentous occasion for Tournament Director Karim Alami. The former tennis player holds this tournament dear to his heart. This is where he had shocked the tennis world by defeat Pete Sampras in the first round of the 1994 edition – a time when Sampras was at his dominant best. Now donning the hat of the tournament director, Alami is proud of the current stature of the tournament.   
“We’re very proud to have the 25th anniversary. The tournament has been improving steadily. The level of organisation has been increasing every year. We’re learning from our mistakes and trying to get the bar higher and higher every year.  We have been having great names of tennis taking part every edition and this is very important for us,” said Alami.
The conditions here in Doha, including the court surface, provided the players with the perfect preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year – The Australian Open. And this made the tournament a perfect place for the stars to kickstart their season. “This has always been a very important tournament in the calendar. The European players usually come from indoor courts training, where it’s very cold. And Doha provides the perfect weather at this time of the year. And the surface is the same as Australia. It’s just the perfect week to practice and get ready for the first Grand Slam of the year,” said Alami.
There will be a few tweaks done to commemorate the occasion of this being the 25th anniversary. He wouldn’t reveal all the details but asked fans to come to the tournament and experience it yourself.
“We always make some special touches every year. We cannot change the whole tournament but we have brought in a few interesting additions like beach tennis and mini-tennis etc. There are a couple of things planned for the VIP village too. Overall we are looking at improving the experience and comfort for the spectators as well as the players,” he said.
The organisers are ready. The spectators are excited. Now to hope that the players make it an exciting start to the New Year for us in Qatar. Love-all.