Wawrinka ‘can’t wait’ to start season in Doha

Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 'can't wait' for the start of the new tennis season in Doha where the Qatar ExxonMobil Open kicks off on Monday.

The Swiss star - with Australian Open, French Open and the US Open titles under his belt - tweeted before arriving in Doha: "Going to miss my off to Doha today to kick off the new year & new season! Can’t wait to get back on court ."

Winner of the doubles gold with Roger Federer at the 2008 Olympic Games, Wawrinka yesterday posted a photo of himself carrying out physical exercises at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. Wawrinka tweeted: "Starting 2020 with a workout! Let’s make this year the right way."

Wawrinka, 34, will be joined by popular Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, also 34, and 2018 Qatar Open finalist Russia's Andrey Rublev at the 32-man tournament that rings in the new season every year.

Canada's Milos Raonic, another main draw player in Doha, also arrived yesterday.

According to Tournament Director Karim Alami, Wawrinka and Tsonga will have to negotiate a tough field in Doha.

"We are pretty happy with the field we have got," Alami said in an interview with The Peninsula.

"We know that a tournament has been created by the ATP - the ATP Cup in Australia. They have taken all the (top) players but we have some good names. We have Stan Wawrinka playing here along with Milos Raonic," Alami said.

"Then we are waiting for Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco who will be joined by Andrey Rublev who has played a final here. So a lot of top-10 players along with a Grand Slam winner, so we are happy with the field here," he added.

"Obviously the dates (of the tournament) have changed this year. We are starting one week later than usual. We will experience the new dates. We will see how the public will react to this. Overall we are happy how things have turned out," Alami said when asked about the Jan 6-11 dates of the 250-point ATP Tour event.

"Some of the players are already here. The qualifiers are busy on the courts," Alami said.

The affable Moroccan said the event - first held in 1993 when Boris Becker won the singles title - has been a hit with fans and players for over 27 years.

"To be honest, it is a great achievement for Qatar Tennis Federation to host this event for so long. They are doing a great job. We have improved our tournament year-by-year. The feedback from the players are a testimony how the event has shaped up. We have been voted at the Tournament of the Year on the ATP Tour three times. That is voted by the players on the ATP Tour," Alami said.

"It is good to have these achievements but we won't stop here. We will continue to learn from our mistakes and we know small details are important and that's what makes the difference," Alami said.

The Tournament Director said Qatar is interested in a change of event date.

"We have been talking with the ATP Tour for the last year and half, to find a solution. To change the calendar is very difficult as you push the event after you. We are trying to find another date - maybe sometime in February before the event in Dubai so it could be (part of) the Middle East swing. We know it is not easy on other events but we are working on getting some approval or getting good news in the future," Alami said.

"For now, we have Doha and Dubai and it is very difficult (to add more events) and that proof is we cannot even move a week," he said.

"We are happy to welcome the players to this sport-loving country again and we believe that this year’s tournament will record another great success as all arrangements are on track to ensure the fans and players have the best of time," Alami said.