Between February 27- March 4, a significant portion of the ATP elite will hit the tennis courts of Dubai in what is expected to be a great tournament. Today, the Main Draw of this ATP 500 event revealed itself and there are some interesting matches and predictions to be met. In the first half of the draw Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be the main stars, while in the bottom, Stan Wawrinka is the main favourite. Wawrinka will play in Dubai as the defending champion after his last year success against Marcos Baghdatis.
Wawrinka shares the quarter with Berdych
Trying to project a trajectory for the current no. 1 Swiss in men's tennis, the path leads to a potential match of him against Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals. To get there, Wawrinka has to get past his first opponent, Damir Dzumhur from Bosnia. Dzumhur (79 ATP), despite having a low status has recently pushed del Potro to the edge at Delray Beach in Florida. A dangerous opponent is all that Wawrinka needs to start building some momentum. Despite being a top player, he struggles with form and motivation. Even so, he is still the defending champion of 2016 US Open. If he gets into the semis, he could face Gael Monfils, Roberto Bautista Agut, Fernando Verdasco or any other player able to get in front of the pack.
An unconventional player
Wawrinka is 3 times Grand Slam champion. What is outstanding is the way he got there, as he clinched each title when no one gave him that credit. Back in 2014, he capped his maiden Grand Slam at the Australian Open by ousting Nadal in the final. Fast forward, one year later, he won the French Open by simply stunning Djokovic in the last act.
Finally, last autumn, at the US Open he dispatched Djokovic with a blistering performance. There've been a lot of words around his results and what to expect in the future. He won one Slam a year during the past three, each time a different one. Applying the same rule, it means that he should win this year's Wimbledon.
Until then, he is set to defend his title in Dubai, and from what he put on the table during the Australian Open, his tennis has the right intensity.
