Dubai Tennis Championships
| Dubai Tennis Championships |
|---|
The Dubai Tennis Championships (also known as the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for sponsorship reasons) (formerly known for sponsorship reasons as the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships and the Dubai Duty Free Men's and Women's Championships) is a professional tennis tournament owned and organized by Dubai Duty Free and held annually in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on outdoor hardcourts. The tournament organizes both a men's and women's event. The tournament takes place under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
For five years Swiss Roger Federer, on the men's side, and Belgian Justine Henin, on the women's side, dominated the singles' tournaments. Between 2003 and 2007, Federer and Henin each won the singles title four times. However, in 2008, neither player managed to reach the finals; Andy Roddick and Elena Dementieva became the new champions. Currently, the reigning champions are Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniacki.
Shahar Pe'er controversy
In February 2009, Israeli player Shahar Pe'er was prevented from playing at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, as she was denied a visa by the United Arab Emirates, a country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Tournament director Salah Tahlak said that Pe'er was refused on the grounds that her appearance could incite anger in the Arab country, after she had already faced protests at the ASB Classic over the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.[1]
A number of top-seeded players, among them Venus Williams,[2] condemned the action to not grant Pe'er a visa. WTA chief executive Larry Scott said the women's tour was "deeply disappointed" by the decision. "Ms Pe'er has earned the right to play in the tournament and it's regrettable that the UAE is denying her this right", he said. "Ms Peer and her family are obviously extremely upset and disappointed by the decision of the UAE and its impact on her personally and professionally." Scott said the WTA would "review appropriate future actions with regard to the future of the Dubai tournament".[3] In reaction to the move, the Tennis Channel decided not to televise the event,[4][5] and The Wall Street Journal dropped its sponsorship.[6] Scott said that he had considered cancelling the tournament, but chose not to after consulting Pe'er.
The rejection of the tennis player's visa application violates WTA rules, which state that no host country should deny a player the right to compete at a tournament for which she has qualified by ranking.[7] The WTA held the tournament accountable in part because of its sponsorship by Dubai Duty Free, a government enterprise, and also because the event was "Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai."[8] In response to the refusal of the UAE to issue the visa, the Dubai Tennis Championship was fined a record US$300,000. The fine was appealed by DTC, but the WTA Tour Board rejected the appeal.[9] The tour also demanded that Dubai organizers confirm that qualifying Israeli players will get visas at least eight weeks in advance for the 2010 event.[9] Pe'er was awarded US$44,250, an amount equal to the average prize money she earned per tournament in 2008.[10] A number of highly-ranked tennis players, including 2008 winner Andy Roddick, pulled out of the mens' ATP tournament in Dubai in protest. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also pulled out of the tournament, although they both cited injury as their reason for withdrawal, not the incident involving Pe'er. As a result, the UAE issued Andy Ram a visa for the men's tournament.[11]
Past finals
Men
Singles
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |  Karel Nováček |
 Fabrice Santoro |
6–4, 7–5 |
| 1994 |  Magnus Gustafsson |
 Sergi Bruguera |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 1995 |  Wayne Ferreira |
 Andrea Gaudenzi |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 1996 |  Goran Ivanišević |
Albert Costa |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 1997 |  Thomas Muster |
Goran Ivanišević |
7–5, 7–6(3) |
| 1998 | Àlex Corretja |
Félix Mantilla |
7–6(0), 6–1 |
| 1999 | Jérôme Golmard |
 Nicolas Kiefer |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 2000 | Nicolas Kiefer |
Juan Carlos Ferrero |
7–5, 4–6, 6–3 |
| ↓ International Series Gold tournaments ↓ | |||
| 2001 | Juan Carlos Ferrero |
 Marat Safin |
6–2, 3–1, retired |
| 2002 | Fabrice Santoro |
 Younes El Aynaoui |
6–4, 3–6, 6–3 |
| 2003 |  Roger Federer |
Jiří Novák |
6–1, 7–6(2) |
| 2004 | Roger Federer |
Feliciano López |
4–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 2005 | Roger Federer |
Ivan Ljubičić |
6–1, 6–7(6), 6–3 |
| 2006 | Rafael Nadal |
Roger Federer |
2–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 2007 | Roger Federer |
Mikhail Youzhny |
6–4, 6–3 |
| 2008 |  Andy Roddick |
Feliciano López |
6–7(8), 6–4, 6–2 |
| ↓ 500 Series tournaments ↓ | |||
| 2009 |  Novak Djokovic |
David Ferrer |
7–5, 6–3 |
| 2010 | Novak Djokovic |
Mikhail Youzhny |
7–5, 5–7, 6–3 |
| 2011 | Novak Djokovic |
Roger Federer |
6–3, 6–3 |
Doubles
Women
Singles
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ↓ Tier II tournament ↓ | |||
| 2001 | Martina Hingis |
Nathalie Tauziat |
6–4, 6–4 |
| 2002 | Amélie Mauresmo |
Sandrine Testud |
6–4, 7–6(3) |
| 2003 |  Justine Henin-Hardenne |
Monica Seles |
4–6, 7–6(4), 7–5 |
| 2004 | Justine Henin-Hardenne |
Svetlana Kuznetsova |
7–6(3), 6–3 |
| 2005 | Lindsay Davenport |
 Jelena Janković |
6–4, 3–6, 6–4 |
| 2006 | Justine Henin-Hardenne |
Maria Sharapova |
7–5, 6–2 |
| 2007 | Justine Henin |
Amélie Mauresmo |
6–4, 7–5 |
| 2008 | Elena Dementieva |
Svetlana Kuznetsova |
4–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| ↓ Premier 5 tournament ↓ | |||
| 2009 | Venus Williams |
Virginie Razzano |
6–4, 6–2 |
| 2010 | Venus Williams |
 Victoria Azarenka |
6–3, 7–5 |
| 2011 |  Caroline Wozniacki |
Svetlana Kuznetsova |
6–1, 6–3 |
Doubles
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| ↓ Tier II tournament ↓ | |||
| 2001 |  Yayuk Basuki  Caroline Vis |
Åsa Svensson  Karina Habšudová |
6–0, 4–6, 6–2 |
| 2002 | Barbara Rittner  María Vento-Kabchi |
Sandrine Testud Roberta Vinci |
6–3, 6–2 |
| 2003 | Svetlana Kuznetsova Martina Navrátilová |
 Cara Black Elena Likhovtseva |
6–3, 7–6 |
| 2004 | Janette Husárová Conchita Martínez |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Elena Likhovtseva |
6–0, 1–6, 6–3 |
| 2005 | Virginia Ruano  Paola Suárez |
Svetlana Kuznetsova  Alicia Molik |
6–7, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 2006 | Květa Peschke Francesca Schiavone |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Nadia Petrova |
3–6, 7–6, 6–3 |
| 2007 | Cara Black Liezel Huber |
Svetlana Kuznetsova Alicia Molik |
7–6, 6–4 |
| 2008 | Cara Black Liezel Huber |
 Zheng Jie Yan Zi |
7–5, 6–2 |
| ↓ Premier 5 tournament ↓ | |||
| 2009 | Cara Black Liezel Huber |
Maria Kirilenko  Agnieszka Radwańska |
6–3, 6–3 |
| 2010 | Nuria Llagostera Vives María José Martínez Sánchez |
Květa Peschke  Katarina Srebotnik |
7–6(5), 6–4 |
| 2011 | Liezel Huber María José Martínez Sánchez |
Květa Peschke Katarina Srebotnik |
7–6(5), 6–3 |
References
- ^ "Dubai faces censure over Peer ban". BBC Sport. 2009-02-17. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
- ^ Mondays With Bob Greene: We do not wish to politicize sports
- ^ "Israeli Peer refused Dubai visa". BBS Sport. BBC. 2009-02-15. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3912927&type=story
- ^ Sandomir, Richard. "Tennis Channel Won’t Televise Dubai Event in Protest." The New York Times. February 16, 2009. Retrieved on February 18, 2009.
- ^ Ovide, Shira. "Journal Drops Dubai Tennis Sponsorship." The Wall Street Journal. February 18, 2009. Retrieved on February 18, 2009.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ a b http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1242212395267&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
- ^ "Dubai given record fine over Peer". BBC News. February 20, 2009. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ [3]
