Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, Qatar ExxonMobil champion in 2019 and 2022, along with Tournament Director Karim Alami, players Zhizhen Zhang of China and Abdullah Shelbayh of Jordan, Qatar ExxonMobil officials, QTF Executive Director Saad Al Mohannadi, and ATP Supervisor Roland Herfel soon after the draw ceremony at the Khalifa International Tennis & Sports Complex, yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Two-time former champion Andy Murray of Great Britain could face top seed and the winner of the 2020 edition Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open this time, the draw revealed yesterday.
Murray, the three-time Grand Slam champion and the winner of the Doha event in 2008 and 2009, was drawn against a qualifier yesterday at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, while Russian Rublev will join the contest from the Round of 16.
The 36-year-old Murray is coming off a rough start to the season, having lost all four of the matches he played this year.
However, the ‘Big Four’ star is confident he will find his rhythm soon.
“It’s difficult obviously. This period I’m going through right now - I’ve never experienced in my whole career. It’s not like the nicest experience to go through. I’d obviously much rather be winning matches, but, if you can treat it as Something to learn from. This is something new for me and a different challenge. I’m still enjoying everything that goes into preparing for the tournaments and preparing for the matches. And yeah, hopefully, this turns around. But it’s a good experience for me to go through,” Murray said yesterday.
Apart from Murray and Rublev, the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2024 - a highlight of the ATP Tour – will see three more former title winners, Richard Gasquet (2013), Gael Monfils (2018) as well as two-time champion Roberto Bautista Agut (2019 and 2022).
Gasquet and Monfils, both of whom are wild card entrants, will take on Kazakhstan’s World No.57 Alexander Shevchenko, and Dutchman Botic Van de Zandschulp respectively in their opening matches.
In the meantime, Bautista Agut will take on Marton Fucsovics in his first match.
“It is good to be back in Doha. I always enjoy the matches here, and this tournament is difficult with the presence of a good number of excellent players, and I hope things go in my favor,” Bautista Agut said after the draw ceremony.
Meanwhile, second seed Karen Khachanov, No.3 seed Ugo Humbert, and fourth seed Alexander Bublik will also start their journeys from the second round.
This year’s tournament, however, will miss the presence of Spanish ace Rafael Nadal and the defending champion Daniil Medvedev. Nadal, a 22-time Grand Slam champion, cited the need for more recovery time as his reason for withdrawal, while Russian Medvedev also stepped back, stating he is not fully prepared to compete.
Their absence opens the field for top a host of promising stars, including Karen Khachanov, Alexander Bublik and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to shine.
Meanwhile, Jordanian hopeful Abdullah Shelbaya is eyeing a strong performance against Australian Alexei Popyrin, buoyed by the prospect of local support.
“It will be a worthy match for sure, but it will be difficult. I am happy that I got this draw. I have to focus on how I can win the match, give all my effort and see how the match turns out,” Abdullah said.
Having been chosen as the ATP 250 Tournament of the Year multiple times, the tournament prepares to elevate its status to an ATP 500 tournament in 2025 as this year marks a crucial milestone.
In a tournament rich in history and prestige, with the likes of all-time greats Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal among its past champions, the 2024 edition promises to provide thrills and excitement to fans until the winner walks away with a prize of $212,300 prize and 250 crucial ATP ranking points on February 24.
