Federer, Nadal to begin next season at Abu Dhabi

Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal will begin the 2010 season in Abu Dhabi by playing in a six-man, $250,000 winner-takes-all exhibition tournament, local media reported on Tuesday.

Swiss world number one Federer and his Spanish rival have confirmed they will be taking part in the event, which starts on Dec. 31, Dubai's Gulf News quoted organisers as saying.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Russian Nikolay Davydenko, Spain's Fernando Verdasco and Swede Robin Soderling will also take part.

British world number three Andy Murray, who defeated Nadal in the inaugural event this year, has decided to skip the event, organisers added.

Murray is currently nursing a wrist injury and has withdrawn from this week's Shanghai Masters.