Some of the Biggest Names in Tennis Are in Town for The ‘Mubadala Citi DC Open’; The Only Combined ATP-WTA 500-Level Tennis Tournament in the World

Last month it was announced that The Citi Open in Washington, D.C. is combining with the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic to become the Mubadala Citi DC Open beginning in 2023. The move from San Jose elevated the DC women’s event from a WTA 250 level to a WTA 500 level, making the Mubadala Citi DC Open the only combined ATP-WTA 500 tournament in the world on the tour calendar. The move is subject to ATP Board approval.

The Mubadala Citi DC Open is the fifth largest pro tennis event in the United States and kicks off in earnest Monday with a star-studded lineup on the first day of main draw play at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park in the nation’s capital. From former World No.1s Viktoria Azarenka and Andy Murray to past DC champions Liudmila Samsonova, Sloane Stephens and Gael Monfils to local favorite Frances Tiafoe, fans will be treated to plenty of headliners on the first full day in Rock Creek Park.

Sunday night included the Taste of Tennis celebration that allowed the public to purchase tickets and eat food from local chefs and restaurants while hanging out with the players at La Vie at The Wharf in DC.

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The tournament was founded in 1969 to support Arthur Ashe’s vision of playing professional tennis in a public park, making tennis accessible to everyone. Since MDE Tennis took over management of the tournament in 2019 the event’s popularity has exploded, with record attendance of over 80,000 and total sell-outs of every session for the last two years.

The Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic was founded 52 years ago by Billie Jean King as the first event of the 1971 professional women’s tour that has now become the WTA. The tournament will make history once again when it moves to the nation’s capital in August. The tournament will remain a 28-player field and presents a rare opportunity for a combined 500-level event the same week, allowing WTA players to compete in front of a larger audience with a more convenient tour schedule in proximity to the next major WTA events and then the U.S. Open in New York Citylater that month. Tennis fans, meanwhile, will be able to enjoy the highest levels of men’s and women’s professional tennis during the same week.

Mark Ein, the Chairman of MDE Sports and the Citi Open, met recently with Brian Lott, Chief Communications Officer for Mubadala Investment Company, and Edward Skyler, Executive Vice President, Citi, to launch the new co-title partnership and tournament.

“Since we took over the Citi Open in 2019, one of our top goals was to secure the long-term rights to host an equal level WTA 500 event in combination with our historic ATP 500 event that is beloved by our community and that has been a highlight of summers in Washington for 53 years. We are thrilled to now make that a reality and are deeply grateful to Mubadala, Citi and IMG for this unique and impactful partnership,” said Mark Ein, Mubadala Citi DC Open’s Chairman. “Being able to showcase men and women at the same highest-level events is one of the things that makes tennis so special, and this move solidifies the Mubadala Citi DC Open as one of the premiere professional tennis tournaments in the world.”

“We’d like to thank the Bay area for over 50 years of support, enthusiasm and passion. We’ve loved bringing the best in women’s tennis to your doorstep year after year,” stated Josh Ripple, SVP of Tennis Events at IMG, the owner and operator of the WTA 500 event. “While we’re sad to go, we are also very excited about this new chapter in the event’s history as the only 500-level combined event on the tours in the U.S. We hope that by bringing this event to D.C. we can start new traditions and bring that same passion for women’s tennis we saw in San Jose to the capital.”

Brian Lott, Chief Communications Office for Mubadala Investment Company said, “Our relationship with women’s professional tennis began in 2017, when we worked with the WTA to move this tournament from Stanford University to San Jose State University, attracting new fans in the Silicon Valley area and extending its timeline in Northern California by five years.  We are excited to build on the heritage of these men’s and women’s tournaments to create something new and historic in Washington, D.C.  This new format will serve both players and fans alike and will build on Mubadala’s strong support of professional tennis – women’s tennis in particular – worldwide.  We also look forward to working with the local community to develop the next generation of tennis talent in the D.C. area.”

In addition to the new tournament in D.C., Mubadala also recently hosted the first-ever Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open WTA 500, and the company recently acquired the Rio Open ATP 500 tournament.

“Welcoming Mubadala on as a co-title partner is an incredible opportunity to elevate the event and will enable men’s and women’s tennis to share the stage by becoming the only combined ATP-WTA 500 tournament,” said Edward Skyler, Executive Vice President, Citi. “We have great respect for Mubadala and all they’ve done with the Silicon Valley Classic, and we look forward to bringing our shared passion for tennis to the D.C. community in an even more impactful way.”

“We are thrilled to host the Mubadala Citi DC Open in the Sports Capital. We are also excited to make DC’s biggest tennis event even bigger,” said DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. “For more than 50 years, the Citi Open has entertained and inspired Washingtonians from across all eight wards and tennis fans from around the world. And we look forward to many more years of world-class tennis in DC. We’ll see you this summer in Rock Creek Park.”

Steve Simon, WTA Chairman & CEO said: “The Bay Area has played host to so many unforgettable moments as one of the Hologic WTA Tour’s longest-running tournaments. The legacy of this much-loved event will live on in its new home, in Washington D.C., where I am excited to see WTA and ATP stars competing together for the first time at the 500 level, creating new memories for many more years to come.”

Season tickets for the 2023 Mubadala Citi DC Open are already on sale at www.mubadalacitidcopen.com or by calling 202-721-9500.  More than half of the lower bowl is already sold and every session for the last two years has sold out with season ticket holders now comprising a large portion of the attendees. Individual seats will be available closer to the event.

About Mubadala Citi DC Open: The Mubadala Citi DC Open tournament, played in Washington D.C., is one of the world’s premier tennis events and benefits the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF). The tournament was founded in 1969 by Donald Dell, John Harris and Arthur Ashe in its current location in Rock Creek Park with a vision of making pro tennis accessible for all athletes and fans in the Washington community. Beginning in 2019, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and DC native Mark Ein’sorganization, MDE Tennis, began managing and operating the tournament under an agreement with WTEF. The organization provides underserved children in the D.C. area with a safe environment to learn critical life skills both on and off the courts through academic and athletic enrichment. The Mubadala Citi DC Open tennis tournament is the only combined ATP and WTA 500 level event in the world on the tour calendar and one of only five combined ATP/WTA tour events in the United States.  After 53 years, it is also the longest-running professional tennis event at the same site in the United States.

About MDE Tennis: MDE Tennis, which is part of MDE Sports & Entertainment, oversees operations for the Mubadala Citi DC Open. Mark D. Ein is the CEO of MDE Sports & Entertainment and MDE Tennis. Ein is an investor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, who has created, acquired, invested in and built a series of growth companies across a diverse set of industries over the course of his 30-year career. During this time, Ein has been involved in the founding or early stages of six companies that have been worth over one billion dollars and has led over $10 billion of private equity, venture capital, and public company investments.  Ein is the Founder and CEO of Capitol Investment Corporation, Venturehouse Group, LLC and Leland Investment Co.    Ein is deeply dedicated to supporting his Washingtonarea community with active leadership roles on many community, charitable and cultural organizations including currently serving on the boards of the DC Public Education Fund (Chairman), DC College Access Program (DC-CAP), and DC Policy Center (Co-Founder). He formerly served on the Board of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) from 2012-2018 (serving as a Vice President of the Board from 2016-2018) and has served as a Presidential Appointee to the USTA Board since 2018. Ein has been a member of the World Economic Forum since 2016, and the Gridiron Club, the oldest and one of the most prestigious journalistic organizations in Washington, D.C.   A native of the Washington, D.C., area and a ball boy in his youth at the city’s summer pro tennis tournament that became the Citi Open, Ein was also the Founder and Owner of the Washington Kastles, the most successful team in World TeamTennis history. The Kastles won the league championship six of its 13 years in the league and holds the record for the longest winning streak in U.S. pro team sports history winning 34 straight matches from 2011 through 2013. In September 2009, Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty presented Ein with the Key to the City, highlighting his Washington Kastles success on the court and, “for their commitment to the District’s communities and our youth.”  In September 2018, Ein founded the WashingtonJustice esports franchise in the Overwatch League, bringing the premier global esports league to the greater Washington, D.C. region. Also in 2018, Ein acquired the Washington City Paper, the renowned weekly paper serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1981.