ATP Dubai Draw: Ugo Humbert, Daniil Medvedev in top quarter

DUBAI—The 33rd edition of the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is about to get underway: the 2025 men’s singles draw was revealed on Saturday, the 500-level event headlined by top seeds Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur.

“I was at the players gym talking to Gaël Monfils and telling him, ‘Whenever you guys come, you bring the heat!” exclaimed Salah Tahlak, Deputy Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free and Tournament Director of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

DRAW: ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, men’s singles

For his part, Monfils, a former world No. 6, was drawn into a fiery first round with Matteo Berrettini, who is coming off a big win over Novak Djokovic at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open.

It was the best title I’d won in my career, the biggest moment I’d lived Ugo Humbert on winning Dubai in 2024

The winner of that match will likely play No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov, who rounds out the top half of the draw and will open against a qualifier.

Anchoring the top of the bracket is Medvedev, the 2023 champion who will play his first round against Jan-Lennard Struff, and faces a potentially tricky second round against either Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard or Zheng Zhizhen.

Mpetshi Perricard was on hand for the ATP draw ceremony in Dubai, and was in good spirits talking about his intimidating serve.

“I try to win as fast as I can,” joked the Frenchman. “I do a little prayer in my head to put the ball into the court.”

With an average of 19 aces per match and first and second serve speeds averaging above 125 miles per hour, more players should consider prayer before their own serves—or at least when they step to the line for returns.

Should Medvedev, who retired in Doha due to illness, make it into the last eight, he will face a semifinal rematch against defending champion Ugo Humbert, who drew his own name as the No. 5 seed on Saturday.

“It was the best title I’d won in my career, the biggest moment I’d lived,” said Humbert, who successfully defended another title two weeks ago in Marseille.

“I’m just super happy to be back here because I have such good memories from last year. It’s always a great tournament, always great to play here and play some good matches. The draw is tough, so it will be very difficult to win.”

Click here to view the full draw.