ABU DHABI, January 1, 2016

At the opening day of the eighth Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, activity in the Tennis Village took centre-stage as fans prepared for the first matches of the annual tournament, taking place later in the afternoon.

Tsonga at coaching clinic

The action at Zayed Sports City’s practice courts got underway early on Thursday, as some of the UAE’s most promising young tennis stars were treated to a tennis clinic with French tennis sensation and world number 10, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Winners of the under 14s age group of the Mubadala Community Cup powered by Healthpoint, which took place across the UAE in the lead up to this weekend’s Championship, were put through their paces at a once-in-a-lifetime coaching session with the French star.

13 year old Julia Rose Bryce said: “It is an indescribable experience to get this once in a lifetime opportunity of playing with one of the top players in the world. The coaching clinic with Tsonga gives us an idea of how they play in a tournament and that is a great feeling for us and great to learn from. I can’t imagine how many people would love to be a part of the Mubadala Community Cup and it’s just amazing to have had this opportunity!”

Q&A session with Milos Raonic and Pat Cash

Tennis Village came alive in true Kids’ Day style, when young fans even had the chance to meet with, and have their questions answered by, star player and Abu Dhabi debutant Milos Raonic, at the Kids’ Day Q&A. The 25-year-old Canadian was also interviewed by former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash.

Watch the video here: