Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal confirmed

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, the world's top-ranked players, will headline the seventh Mubadala World Tennis Championship at Zayed Sports City, from January 1 to 3, promoters said yesterday
Djokovic, the Wimbledon champion and world No 1, will make his fourth consecutive appearance at the six-man, season-opening event. He has won the past three.
"Abu Dhabi has always been very good to me and of course I was keen to return and defend my title,” Djokovic said. "The tournament draws the world's top players and it is crucial for us to keep pushing and testing ourselves against each other, especially at the start of a new season.
"We're more than halfway through the year now and, with one major secured, I feel that I am on track for a memorable year but there is plenty more work to be done before we catch that flight to the U.A.E..
"Celebrating the New Year in Abu Dhabi will be very special this time around and I'm hopeful of starting 2015 in the best possible way – with a victory at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.”
Nadal, the French Open champion, will be making his sixth consecutive appearance at the event, which offers a winner-take-all prize of US$250,000 (Dh918,000) to the champion.
"The standards are always high in Abu Dhabi, the crowds are fantastic and there is a real buzz around the city so returning was an easy decision to make,” said the Spaniard, the champion in the second and third stagings of the event. "It's the perfect place to start the year and although there is still a long way to go in this current season, we have to plan ahead and make sure we give ourselves to best opportunities to start the year strong.
"For me that would be playing the Mubadala World Tennis Championships where all top players want to play. I hope this year I can win.”
Nadal has lost at the semi-final stage each of the past three years.
Djokovic and Nadal presumably will be seeded into the January 2 semi-finals, and the four other players, generally chosen from the top 10 in the world, will meet in the quarter-finals on January 1. Last year, those four were Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Mubadala continues as title sponsor of the tournament, in partnership with Flash Entertainment.
Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi-based investment and development company, has several grass-roots initiatives associated with the tournament, including competitions for youngsters and opportunities to attend clinics put on by the tennis pros.
Tickets for the 2015 event are on sale from tomorrow at www.ticketmaster.ae and all Virgin Mega Stores or by calling 800 86 823.
Prices start from Dh50 for upper-bowl seating, with premier hospitality packages also available including food and beverage offers, star player meet-and-greets and premier stadium seating.
Source: The National