Day one of the 10th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship (MWTC) got off to an exciting start as future stars of the game got the chance to interact and learn from the very best.

The Tennis Village at the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City was a hive of activity as kids as young as 10 years old rubbed shoulders with the likes of US Open semi-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta, world No. 5 Dominic Thiem, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, upcoming star Andrey Rublev and US Open finalist Kevin Anderson.

The players took time ahead of their matches to share advice and tips with local children, as well as train with them, hoping to inspire the future generation of players.

The MWTC provides a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity for youngsters to practice with their heroes and offers fans unrivalled access to the world’s leading players.

Andrey Rublev signs autographs for the starry-eyed fans.

Spectators were also treated to a surprise visit by Andy Murray, who is in Abu Dhabi to train ahead of the Australian Open.

Commenting on his participation at the Mubadala Community Cup (MCC) under 14s clinic, Carreno Busta said: “It’s really fun to play with these kids and I think it is very important for them to play with top players and I hope that they enjoyed the clinic. I sure did.”

British national Amber Razzaq was among the group of kids who took part in the clinic as one of the winners of the MCC. She said: “It was a great experience for me as a tennis player because usually we see these players only on TV and you never dream of seeing them in real life let alone playing with them. So today was actually a great experience for me to learn and improve.”

Fans also enjoyed a Q&A session with Australian legend and MWTC ambassador Pat Cash and Thiem, who along with Rublev, signed autographs for the youngsters.

Visitors to the Tennis Village also enjoyed fun games and other engaging activities to test their tennis skills at the Mubadala’s Interactive Zone.

Roberto Bautista Agut takes part in the tennis clinic.

The 10th edition of the MWTC will run from December 28 to 30.

Fans at this year’s tournament can celebrate watching some of the world’s best players by attending Katy Perry’s New Year’s Eve concert. If you have already purchased a ticket for the MWTC, you can now receive a 20 per cent discount when purchasing a General Admission ticket to Katy Perry’s New Year Eve Concert online through www.ticketmaster.ae.

MWTC General Admission three-day pass holders are now also eligible to receive two tickets to the Katy Perry concert for the price of one.