Djokovic, Nadal Confirmed for 2015 Abu Dhabi Mubadala Championship

Top-ranked tennis players Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal confirmed participation for the 2015 Abu Dhabi Mubadala Tennis Championship.

Djokovic, the current world number one who made his debut in Abu Dhabi in 2011 will make his fourth consecutive appearance at the six-man, season-opening event, where he never lost a match before. He completed the hat-trick of titles in Mubadala after defeating David Ferrer (2011 and 2013) and Nicolas Almagro (2012.)

"Abu Dhabi has always been very good to me and of course I was keen to return and defend my title. The tournament draws the world's top players and it is crucial for us to keep pushing and testing ourselves against each other, especially at the start of a new season," the Serbian said via 7daysindubai.com.

On the other hand, Nadal, the 2014 French Open champion will make his sixth consecutive appearance at the 2015 Abu Dhabi Mubadala Tennis Championship, which offers a $250,000 to the champion. The Spaniard, who is the current world number two has not lifted the Dubai trophy since winning twice in 2010 (January and December).

Meanwhile, Nadal and Djokovic are the favourties to win the 2014 US Open. Although Djokovic has recently won in Wimbledon 2014, Nadal is the defending US Open champion.

Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Martin del Potro, Sam Querrey and John Isner are among the popular names who will receive direct entry to the hard-court Grand Slam tournament.

Nadal is expected to defend his title in the tournament, which starts on August 25 in New York, while Djokovic will aim for his second title overall at Flushing Meadows after winning in 2011. The latter has appeared in three straight finals at the US Open in the last three years.