Dubai: Two-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray says he is excited about taking top-level tennis to the Philippines when the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) launches next month.

The British Olympic champion, currently ranked eighth in the world and looking good for a place in the ATP Finals in London, will lead the Manila Mavericks in the inaugural IPTL. He will be joined in the team by the likes of Maria Sharapova and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the revolutionary new tournament makes its debut in Manila between November 28 and 30.

The IPTL will also visit Singapore and New Delhi before concluding at the Shaikh Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai from December 11 to 13.

And Murray said he was looking forward to seeing the sport broadening its horizons, as well as seeing Manila for the first time.

“Playing in Manila will be fun. The fans there don’t get to see a lot of live tennis, so that will be good,” the 27-year-old said.

“With the season being so busy, it can be difficult to take a holiday so you don’t often get to travel anywhere different to the countries on the tour.

“But, whenever I am in a new place, I like to try and take in some of the sights. I’ve heard the Intramuros in Manila is pretty spectacular. I have also heard of some great restaurants in the area, so I’m quite excited to explore.

“I am also hoping to meet an idol of mine, Manny Pacquiao, and I will try to get him along to a match. I’m not sure what his tennis is like, but I’ll happily give him a few tips.”

Murray, who hopes the tournament’s innovations will prove popular with supporters, added: “Attracting new fans to the sport is important and I’m looking forward to helping take tennis somewhere new.

“The IPTL format is something that has never been done before and there are many different aspects that make it interesting. The shot clock is a great idea and will speed play up and make tennis even more exciting for the fans with the shorter breaks between points.

“The fact that every game counts toward the team score is also a great idea — you’re not just playing for yourself, you have to think about your teammates as well and put them in as strong a position as possible at the end of your own set in the match.

“It’s definitely exciting to be part of it in the first year.”

Murray has won the last two tournaments he has played — at Valencia and Vienna — and is now in action at the Paris Masters, but he insists he is looking forward to playing as part of a team, rather than as an individual.

“I like the format. Tennis is an individual sport and you don’t get to interact with others during your matches that much. When I was younger I used to play a lot of football, and I always enjoyed being part of a team, so being able to have that feeling of being part of a team again will be good,” he said.

One of Murray’s teammates will be Philippines number one and current ATP Tour doubles world No 53 Treat Huey, who will act as the Mavericks’ player-coach.

And the Briton expects Huey’s presence to give the team and crowd a lift in the opening leg.

“It’ll be a special time playing in front of his home crowd, which is something he probably would never have done before on this scale,” Murray said.

“We win as a team and we lose as a team and I’m sure we will all do our best to support each other. There are some great players in our team.

“I’m going to make sure I’m prepared and try to play as best as I can and enjoy the new experience. Obviously I don’t want to reveal too much, just in case our rivals are reading this!”