Carlos Alcaraz set to make Mubadala World Tennis Championship debut

Carlos Alcaraz, the world No 1 and reigning US Open champion, will make his debut at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi in December, organisers announced on Monday.

Alcaraz is the first male player confirmed for the six-man tournament, taking place December 16-18 at Zayed Sports City's International Tennis Centre, and follows the announcement that world No 2 Ons Jabeur and former US Open champion Emma Raducanu will contest the one-off women's match.

“I can’t wait to participate in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi,” Alcaraz said. “I’ve seen a lot of players take part in the tournament, and everyone really looks forward to it.”

Alcaraz, 19, emerged as the most exciting young player in men's tennis earlier this year and has since surged to the very top of the game. In winning the US Open last month, the Spaniard became the youngest male player to reach world No 1, beating previous record-holder Lleyton Hewitt by a year and five months.

Alcaraz is also the youngest Grand Slam champion since Nadal at the 2005 French Open and the youngest US Open winner since Pete Sampras in 1990.

So far this season, Alcaraz has won five titles, including two Masters, in Miami and Madrid. He won his first ATP Tour title last year in Umag, Croatia. He began the year ranked just outside the top 30, breaking into the top 10 in April, before reaching the summit last month.

“Carlos Alcaraz has had an incredible year after becoming the youngest ATP 500 champion in Rio de Janeiro back in February to winning the US Open a few weeks ago,” said John Lickrish, CEO, Flash Entertainment, the tournament's owners.

“MWTC has a history of getting the top players to compete in Abu Dhabi. It's a promise we've never had any