Mubadala DC Open brings tennis stars to Rock Creek Park

The Mubadala DC Open returns to Rock Creek Park from Saturday through Aug. 2 with ATP, WTA stars, local food vendors and fan events.

Tournament organizers are bringing tennis and hospitality into one of the District’s busiest outdoor sports weeks. The event runs on the same grounds for men’s and women’s 500-level tours, a distinction the tournament bills as unique on the global schedule.

Rock Creek gets a larger stage

The Washington tournament has long tied top-tier tennis to Rock Creek Park, a civic setting rather than a suburban stadium complex. This year’s edition puts that local identity around an expanded combined format, giving fans one ticketing window for ATP and WTA matches at the same site.

The source material identifies the event as the world’s only combined ATP/WTA 500 tournament. That matters for the field because a 500-level stop sits below the sport’s biggest events but still carries enough ranking value to draw established contenders and returning champions.

Champions and American names lead field

Alex de Minaur returns as defending champion, giving the men’s draw a clear marker from last year’s event. The American group includes Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul, three players whose presence gives the tournament a domestic pull beyond the District.

Madison Keys is listed on the women’s side, joining a field that also includes Naomi Osaka, Venus Williams, Elina Svitolina and Jasmine Paolini. Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas add more international weight to the schedule, with dozens of additional entrants expected across the week.

For spectators, the draw is only part of the programming. The tournament plans autograph sessions, activities for children, player meetings and tennis conversations, giving fans more reasons to stay on site between matches.

Chefs turn matches into festival

The food program gives the event a second Washington selling point. Silver & Sons barbecue, Duke’s Grocery, Taco Bamba and Dolcezza are among the local vendors scheduled to serve fans, adding neighborhood brands to the tennis grounds.

VIP hospitality will lean more heavily into name-recognition dining. José Andrés, Jeremiah Langhorne of The Dabney and Patrick O’Connell of The Inn at Little Washington are listed among the chefs whose dishes will be available to VIP guests.

That mix creates two tracks for the tournament experience: a general-admission food lineup built around local favorites and a premium tier designed around chef-driven service. Ticket prices start at $28 per session, while VIP seats begin at $149.

The pricing puts the event in a broad entertainment market where Washington families, visitors and corporate guests compare tennis with concerts, baseball and restaurant nights. A $28 entry point keeps a lower-cost option available, while the $149 VIP floor shows how the event is also competing for premium hospitality spending.

If leading players remain in the draw deep into the week, the tournament can convert name recognition into fuller sessions, stronger food sales and more visibility for the combined format. If withdrawals or early exits thin the names fans came to see, the non-match programming and local dining roster become more important to the ticket value.

The wider industry read is straightforward: combined events can package women’s and men’s tennis as one entertainment product, which helps sponsors, broadcasters and ticket sellers simplify the offer. For Washington, the next test begins Saturday in Rock Creek Park, where the crowd will measure whether the field, food and fan programming match the billing.