'In 2002 we could not imagine Roger Federer would be back to 2019 Dubai'

The executive vice-chairman and CEO of Duty Free is excited to have back in the Arab tournament for the 14th time. The Swiss player committed to the ATP 500 event that takes place from 25 February to 2 March, looking to triumph for the eight time there.

His maiden success is dated back to 2003, when he defeated Jiri Novak in the final. We could not have imagined when he won his first title at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships that he would still be competing here 17 years later.

Not only is he still playing but he is as competitive as ever, and it will be fascinating to see if he can win here yet again, said McLoughlin. Speaking about his longevity, Federer recently said: I must tell you Im very proud that at 37 Im still so competitive and so happy playing tennis.

Its been a historic season in some ways. Got back to world No. 1. For me, that was a huge moment in my life, to be honest, in my career, because I never thought I would get there again. I think reaching No. 1 is one of, if not the, ultimate achievement in our sport.

So sometimes at the beginning you just all of a sudden get there just because youre playing so well. Later you sometimes try to fight and wrestle it back from somebody else who deserved to be there. And when youre older, you know you feel like you have to put maybe sometimes double the work in.

So this one maybe means the most to me (of any achievement) throughout my career. It is an absolute dream come true. ALSO READ: Rafael Nadal: Worse players than David Ferrer won a Grand Slam title