World-renowned Tennis Stars Learn Ancient Art of Arabic Calligraphy from young UAE National

Marking their return to the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, world number two, Rafael Nadal, and sixteen times Grand Slam winner, Roger Federer, took part in a unique Arabic calligraphy session overlooking the iconic Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi today.

The Mubadala World Tennis Championship sees six of the world’s top players battling it out at the International Tennis Complex at Zayed Sports City between 29 and 31 December. The Mubadala World Tennis Championship is the highlight of Mubadala’s ongoing community tennis initiatives, bringing world-class tennis to the UAE.

World number three, Roger Federer, commented “It’s fantastic to see my name written in this beautiful Arabic art form. It’s truly a unique start to the Championship. I am particularly impressed with the interest the Abu Dhabi community has demonstrated in tennis. The different initiatives, which lead up to this Championship, are a great way to inspire young people to become active and get involved in tennis.”

Amina Taher, Group Communications Manager, Mubadala, said: “The Mubadala World Tennis Championship helps put Abu Dhabi on the international sporting map. Hosting the world’s best players in Abu Dhabi is a great way to raise the profile of the game among the local community and helps reiterate the importance of staying healthy and fit through sport. Over the course of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, Rafael and Roger will be showcasing their expertise to our local community, so we felt it was suitable to teach them something about our culture in return”.

As part of its efforts to encourage the community to get more involved in sports and promote a healthier lifestyle for future generations, Mubadala has collaborated with national authorities and organizations to deliver a series of “In School” initiatives designed to enable and promote sports in schools. These programs include “Mubadala Tennis in Schools” with Abu Dhabi Education Council, IMG and FLASH Entertainment and “Mubadala Football In Schools” with the Ministry of Education and the UAE Football Association. The Tennis in Schools program in addition to the Mubadala Community Cup are part of a range of community tennis initiatives in the run up to the Mubadala World Tennis Championship.