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Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych to start 2011 in Abu Dhabi

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Rising stars of tennis, Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych are counting down to the beginning of the 2011 global tennis season. Both players are making their 2011 debuts at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.
Grand Slam finalist and former Junior World Champion Marcos Baghdatis will be taking on 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych. The two players will be competing against each other in the opening round on the first day of the Mubadala tournament, which will
be held at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex in Zayed Sports City. The event will be held from 30 December 2010 to 1 January 2011.
The battle between these two players is expected to be intense, a fitting start to the new year. Having halved their last four matches against each other, the duo will be rekindling their rivalry at Mubadala. The winner of the event will be competing against
World Number 1 Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of the event to be held on the second day of the championship.  
Baghdatis, who is currently living in Limassol, Cyprus, went through pre-season training recently. He said, “Last year I started to get back to my very best so I cannot wait to start my season in Abu Dhabi against a quality field in preparation for the Australian
Open. Over the years I’ve had some great battles with Tomas and I’m expecting another very close match but hopefully the fans at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship will see me as the ‘local player’ and show me their support.” 
Both Berdych and Baghdatis showed significant improvements in 2010, and the year marked a return to fitness and form for the pros. A number of superb performances helped them to climb the ATP rankings ladder, and they have once again become serious contenders
for the Grand Slams.
A year ago, Baghdatis fell from World Number 8 in 2006 to World Number 148 in 2009. However, he made a comeback this year and returned to the World’s Top after an absence of two years. He achieved this by reaching the semi-finals or better at five 2010 tournaments,
one of which is his fifth ATP World Tour singles title in Sydney. Baghdatis also managed victories over Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Berdych during the year.
However, 2010 does not leave Berdych far behind. The Czech Number 1 proved himself capable of defeating some of the best tennis players on the world on varied surfaces. He played the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami courtesy of victories over Robin
Soderling and top seed Federer.
However, he maximized his potential at the Grand Slams by reaching the semi-finals at Roland Garros and defeating Roger Federer at the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships. He also defeated World Number 3 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the
event.
Questioned about his debut at Abu Dhabi, Tomas Berdych says, “In 2010 my game took another positive step forward and I was pleased with the progress made during a satisfying season. For sure more people will be looking at me but I’m ready for that and the
start of the new season with my debut in Abu Dhabi. I’ve been working hard in preparation for the year ahead and Abu Dhabi sounds like the ideal place to get match fit and check out the form of the other players. Matches with Marcos are always tough which
is exactly what I need in the build-up to the Australian Open.”

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