US Open champion <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/tennis/2021/09/13/us-open-emma-raducanu-novak-djokovic-and-a-tournament-of-history-made-and-denied/" target="_blank">Emma Raducanu</a> says she "can't wait" to start her preparations for next year at the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/tennis/2021/09/14/mubadala-world-tennis-championship-promises-world-class-line-up-after-announcing-return/" target="_blank">Mubadala World Tennis Championship</a> in Abu Dhabi. The Briton, 18, shocked the world at last month's US Open, beating Leylah Fernandez to become the first qualifier to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/tennis/2021/09/11/british-teenager-emma-raducanu-makes-history-to-win-us-open-title/">win a Grand Slam</a> in the open era. "What a year it's been," the British No 1 said in a video message, saying she was looking forward to kickstarting 2022 in the capital. Organisers <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/tennis/2021/10/11/us-open-champion-emma-raducanu-to-star-in-abu-dhabis-mubadala-world-tennis-championship/" target="_blank">confirmed last week</a> that Raducanu will play the exhibition tournament at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City from December 16-18. Her opponent is <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/tennis/2021/10/13/belinda-bencic-to-face-emma-raducanu-at-the-mubadala-world-tennis-championship/" target="_blank">Olympic champion Belinda Bencic</a>. Alongside the women's match will be the six-player men's tournament. Spanish 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is the defending champion having defeated Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2019 final. Tickets, starting from Dh100 for adults and Dh50 for children, are available from <a href="http://ticketmaster.ae/">ticketmaster.ae</a> and Virgin Megastores across the UAE.
