David Ferrer joins Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic for Mubadala Tennis in Abu Dhabi

David Ferrer was annnounced on Sunday to be the third confirmed player for the eighth Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

The annual pre-season warm-up event in the capital has already announced regular feature Rafael Nadal as well as Canadian up-and-comer Milos Raonic. World No 8 Ferrer rounds out half of the six-man field.

“It’s always such a pleasure to come and play this tournament,” Ferrer said in a press release. “There is always a lot of excitement in the crowd and the setup in Abu Dhabi is world class.

“I am excited to get the season underway. The players are always very strong so I know exactly what I can expect this year: tough, fast and exciting tennis.”

Ferrer, who recently won the 25th ATP title of his career in Kuala Lumpur, added he was looking forward to testing his form ahead of the Australian Open against a typically elite field.

“I know Rafa and Milos will set the standards very high and it’s certainly looking like one of the most competitive tournaments yet.”

Last year Andy Murray won the Abu Dhabi title after Novak Djokovic pulled out of the final. Murray reached the final after winning a classy encounter with Nadal in the semi-finals at the Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadim.

Ferrer last appeared in the Mubadala tournament in 2013, the sixth edition, and reached the final where he fell 7-5, 6-2 to Djokovic. He also featured at the second, fourth and fifth editions of the event.

The Spanish scrambler in the meanwhile leads a pack of year-end contenders back to Europe as the points race for the ATP World Tour Finals heats up at next week’s Austrian Open.

The indoor event at the Stadthalle has been upgraded to an ATP 500 series, with double the ranking points on offer compared to last year when Murray won the title as a wild card.

Ferrer, provisional seventh in the race to London – four places remain open in the field with three weeks of play remaining – will need to recover after losing in the Shanghai second round in a surprise to Bernard Tomic.

With three more spots to fill for the December 31-January 2 event, more notable names can be expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Stan Wawrinka are among the players who have made multiple appearances in Abu Dhabi since the first staging of the World Championship in 2009.

Tickets are available now for the 2016 Mubadala World Tennis Championships at ticketmaster.ae and further information can be found at mubadalawtc.com.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE