Four former champions learn their fates ahead of ATP week at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Draw for this week’s ATP 500 tournament at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium sees No2 seed Alex de Minaur take on former US Open champion Marin Čilić in first round

Dubai’s defending champion Ugo Humbert to face Jiri Lehecka for first time, while top seed and World No6 Daniil Medvedev set to meet Jan-Lennard Struff

Dubai, UAE – February 22, 2025: The second week of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships gets under way Monday and the Official Draw for the ATP 500 men’s tournament has thrown up a series of intriguing ties, including a mouthwatering match-up between No2 seed Alex de Minaur and big-hitting former US Open champion Marin Čilić.

This year’s 32-player field includes four former winners in Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Roberto Bautista Agut, and reigning champion Ugo Humbert, who was present at Saturday’s draw held inside the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.

“I’m super happy to be back here because I have such good memories from last year,” said Humbert, who will go head-to-head with Jiri Lehecka for the first time, before conceding that winning the 2024 Dubai title remains “the biggest moment of my career”.

Top seed Medvedev, ranked No6 in the world and winner of the 2021 US Open, is making his third consecutive appearance in Dubai and was drawn against Jan-Lennard Struff, who he holds a 7-1 record against. Italian Matteo Berrettini, who reached the Wimbledon final in 2021, is looking to extend his winning run to four matches against Frenchman Gaël Monfils, himself a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist.

The Official Draw was also attended by Giovanni Mpetshi-Perricard, the 21-year-old Frenchman making his Dubai debut this week, as well as wildcard Dan Evans, who is making his sixth appearance in the emirate having reached the semi-finals in 2020.

“It’s great to be back,” British-born Dubai resident Evans said. “I’m really looking forward to competing again. I’ve always felt comfortable here and it’s a place where I’ve spent a lot of time. Hopefully, I can use that to my advantage on the court and win some matches.”

Rublev, the tournament’s third seed, is back for a fifth consecutive year and will start his quest for a second Dubai crown against a qualifier, while Bautista Agut faces Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.

“The draw always brings an extra level of excitement to the tournament,” said Ramesh Cidambi, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Chairman of the Tournament Organising Committee. “With some of the best players in the world set to compete, fans can expect high-quality tennis right from the start. We are eager to see how the matchups unfold.”

Announcing the event’s three wild card players—Evans is joined by Hady Habib of Lebanon and Tunisia’s Aziz Dougaz—Salah Tahlak, Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, added: “Sometimes it’s not easy to pick those names from different nationalities, but as an Arab country, we have these freedoms and respect, and we give them the opportunity to be here.”

The Official Draw was led by ATP Supervisor Ahmed Abdel-Azim, who has been involved with the tournament for 26 years. He was joined by Cidambi, Tahlak, Nasser Yousef Al-Marzouqi, Secretary General of the UAE Tennis Federation; Sinead El Sibai, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Dubai Duty Free; Hany Khafief, ATP Referee; and Diego Pedraza, Tour Manager.

The 33rd edition of the annual ATP event, which takes place from February 24 to March 1, is owned and organised by Dubai Duty Free, and held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Tickets remain available to purchase online at www.dubaidutyfreetennischampionships.com