Qatar ExxonMobil Open Awarded ATP Trophy for Being Best Competition of 2017

Qatar ExxonMobil Open tennis tournament director Karim al Alami on Saturday received the award for the event being recognised as the best competition in the 250 points category of 2017 from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

The trophy was awarded during a ceremony held at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex. 
The hugely popular Qatar ExxonMobil Open was voted as the 'Best Tournament' on the ATP Tour in the 250 points class last November. It is the second time, after 2015, that the Qatar Open has won the award, which is based on the votes of the players. 
Chair Umpire Lars Graff, representing the ATP, handed the award to Alami during the final day of the competition.

The tournament director expressed his delight that Qatar ExxonMobil Open managed to win the honour for another year. He added that it was a result of the efforts made by the organising committee presided over by Nasser Ghanim al Khelaifi.
He said players voted for Qatar's competition given their good experience of participation in the Doha tournament. The organisation of the event is professional and ensures that the players get all they need. 

Alami added that it was no surprise that the tournament received the accolade, given that each year it sees a host of the top-ranked players take part. This has made Qatar ExxonMobil a trade mark tour on the tennis circuit. The latest studies showed that over 150 million homes around the world watched the Doha event this year. 

The chief of umpires at Qatar Exxon Mobil Open Ashraf Hamouda also received a gold badge, becoming the first Arab umpire to achieve the feat. Umpires with Gold badge are the highest ranked on court officials. 
Hamouda expressed delight on his win and on the success of Qatar ExxonMobil Open in its 26th year.

Source: Qatar Tribune