Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, is trying to get back into the swing of things after an extended absence due to an ankle injury.
Follow Us
On Monday, February 20, the 31st iteration of the men’s competition at the Qatar Open will begin. The tournament was won by Roberto Bautista Agut last year after he defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili in the championship match. Being seeded fifth this time, the Spaniard will try to defend his title. He will face stiff competition from players like Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Alexander Zverev, so he has his work cut out for him. Due to his three victories in 2005, 2009, and 2011 at the Qatar Open, Roger Federer is the tournament’s most successful player ever. The tournament has also been won in the past by players like Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal.
The Qatar Open is a hardcourt outdoor competition held in Doha. Unlike the women’s competition, which is a WTA 500 event, the men’s event is a part of the ATP 250 series. Former World No. 1 Boris Becker triumphed in the tournament’s first year by defeating Goran Ivanisevic in the championship match. Since then, the competition has been held annually, and some outstanding athletes have won it. The Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha, which has 7,000 seats, will host the 2023 Qatar Open.
The 2023 ATP Qatar Open will have five rounds of play excluding the qualifying rounds. These are the round of 32, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. The main draw of the tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 20 and conclude on Saturday February 25. Here is the tentative round-wise schedule of the ATP 250 event.
| Tournament stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Round of 32 | February 20-21 |
| Round of 16 | February 22 |
| Quarter-finals | February 23 |
| Semi-finals | February 24 |
| Final | February 25 |
Andrey Rublev, the champion in 2020, is the top seed and the overwhelming favourite to win the Qatar Open. The Russian is eager to make up for his disappointing first-round exit from the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. In the opening round, Rublev will face either Tallon Griekspoor or Quentin Halys. Second-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime hopes to have a strong run in Doha after losing in the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam tournament.
Daniil Medvedev, the third seed, is arguably the tournament’s heavy favourite to win. After losing in the third round of the Australian Open, the Russian dropped out of the top 10 of the ATP rankings. He has, however, made a strong comeback and is currently playing in the ABN AMRO Open semifinals. Alexander Zverev, the fourth seed, is trying to get back into the swing of things after an extended absence due to an ankle injury. The German may not be the tournament’s top contender, but if he plays at or near his peak, we could see him have a strong showing.
| Player | Seed |
|---|---|
| Andrey Rublev | 1 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 2 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 3 |
| Alexander Zverev | 4 |
| Roberto Bautista Agut | 5 |
| Daniel Evans | 6 |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | 7 |
| Andy Murray | 8 |
The winner of the men’s singles match will receive $209,445 in addition to the $1,377,025 in total prize money for the competition.
| Stage | Prize Money |
|---|---|
| First round | $14,770 |
| Second round | $24,165 |
| Quarter-finals | $41,615 |
| Semi-finals | $71,830 |
| Runner-up | $122,175 |
| Winner | $209,445 |
Australia – beIN Sports
Canada – TSN
India – Tennis TV
UK- Amazon Prime Video
USA – Tennis Channel
All ATP and WTA Tour level matches can be viewed on demand on the Tennis TV website and app.
