With less than one month to go until the Mubadala World Tennis Championship returns to Abu Dhabi, Sheikha Shaikha bint Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan is encouraging the UAE to get involved in the sport.

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Sheikha Shaikha is one of the leading supporters of tennis in the Emirates and is known for her involvement in the Sheikh Mohammed bin Saeed bin Hamdan Al Nahyan Tennis Tournament for Emirati women.

Sheikha Shaikha bint Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan commented: “It’s so important to lead an active and healthy lifestyle physically but tennis also helps keep your mind healthy too. It is a fantastic sport that people of any age and ability can get involved in and I would encourage anyone to give it a try.”

Sheikha Shaikha bint Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan is also a keen supporter of this year’s Mubadala Community Cup and the Mubadala Tennis in Schools programme.

Sheikha Shaikha’s children attended the launch of the Mubadala Tennis in Schools programme earlier this year and had the opportunity to receive coaching from former Grand Slam Champion Pat Cash.

“Tennis has really grown in popularity here in the last few years with more and more Emiratis and young people picking up racquets and really enjoying the sport. 

“Promoting an active lifestyle is a difficult task and must begin at an early age. The Mubadala community programmes not only encourage young people to get active and give them a chance to follow their tennis dreams, but do so in an environment that brings together the whole community.”

The annual Mubadala World Tennis Championship will take place from 1st-3rd January 2015 at the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City.

World number 1 Novak Djokovic, world number 3 Rafael Nadal, reigning Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, double Grand Slam winner Andy Murray and the crowd-loving duo of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gaël Monfils will all be competing for victory.