Swiatek, Sabalenka and Medvedev set for World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi

Grand Slam winners Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Daniil Medvedev will be in Abu Dhabi next month for the third season of the World Tennis League, the organisers announced on Monday.

The high-profile event is supported by Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT) and Miral.

Slated to be held from December 19-22 at the Etihad Arena, this much-awaited league will feature four teams – Eagles (the defending champions), Hawks, Falcons, and Kites.

Eagles will feature Swiatek, Barbora Krejčíková, Hubert Hurkacz and Casper Ruud.

Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Taylor Fritz and Sumit Nagal will defend the colours of Hawks.

Falcons will be represented by Rybakina, Caroline Garcia, Medvedev and Andrey Rublev and Kites will feature Jasmine Paolini, Paula Badosa, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nick Kyrgios.

The 2024 edition will kickstart with an exciting opener as the Falcons, featuring top guns like Medvedev and Rybakina, take on the Hawks, led by women's world number 1 Sabalenka and Indian star Nagal.

Meanwhile, women's world number 2 Swiatek and men's world number 7 Ruud will lead defending champions Eagles against the Kites, featuring crowd favourites Kyrgios and Badosa in the second match on the opening day.

On the second day (December 20), the Eagles will take on the Hawks, while the Falcons and Kites will square off in the evening match.

On the penultimate day (December 21), the Falcons and Eagles will play the opening game, followed by the final league stage match between the Hawks and Kites. The final will be held on December 22.

All the teams will compete in a single round-robin (all-play-all) format, with each team playing one match against each other. The top two teams, with the highest number of games won, will advance to the summit clash of WTL Season 3.

Each match will consist of four sets — men's singles, women's singles, and two doubles sets, which may include men's doubles, women's doubles, or mixed doubles, as determined by the team that win the coin toss.

To add to the excitement, WTL will also follow a unique format, in which, if the trailing team win the fourth set, the match goes into Overtime (OT).

OT will continue until the leading team win one more game or the trailing team match the overall game total. If the game scores are equal, the match will be decided by a Super Shootout.

In the Super Shootout, the 'home' team - listed first in the Order of Play - choose the competitor, while the opposing team select the side and decide whether to serve or receive first. The first to reach ten points wins, with sudden death at 9-9. The winner of the Super Shootout will be awarded one game and also earn two additional bonus points.

As teams vie for the top spots, every game will have an impact on their standings, determined by the number of games won. If teams are tied in total points, their head-to-head record and game-winning percentage will come into play.

With every game holding the potential to be a defining moment, all eyes will be on high-stakes singles and doubles showdowns.