Dubai: The owners of UAE Royals have reiterated their commitment with the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) on the long term.

Runners-up to the Indian Aces in the inaugural season last year, the UAE Royals have roped in Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, Daniel Nestor, Ana Ivanovic, Kristina Mladenovic and Goran Ivanisevic for the second season that gets under way in Japan from December 2.

“No doubt, the first year was a learning process for everyone associated with the IPTL and the UAE Royals. In just one year IPTL has made a name for itself and we are glad to be associated with such a brand,” Neelesh Bhatnagar, Ceo, Emax Electronics told Gulf News.

“After last year’s inaugural season, we were convinced about the true celebration of tennis through the IPTL. The atmosphere in the stadiums is amazing and all the players are beginning to love being together in a sort of Davis Cup format. I think we have only just begun,” he added.

The UAE Royals have a ten-year contract with IPTL, the brandchild of former tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi. Launched in November last year with four teams, IPTL will feature Japan along with Manila, New Delhi, Singapore and Dubai for this season. All IPTL matches conform to the rules of tennis and code of conduct laid down by the ITF with each encounter consisting of singles for men, women and past legends along with men’s and mixed doubles.

Last week, Indian Test cricket captain Virat Kohli was announced as one of the UAE Royal co-owners, joining the likes of Bhatnagar, Sachin Gadoya, Rahul Saharia and Praveen Bhatnagar.

“After a review we loved the dual side of tennis: the competitiveness and keenness of rivals on the other hand and the carnival atmosphere, pomp of show of the sport on the other. It is a perfect way to celebrate sport in its true essence,” Bhatnagar said.

“Added to this there are some good tweaks in the rules and that makes this form of tennis even more appealing to the spectators,” he added.

Co-owner Gadoya, Managing Director, Musafir.com, stressed that he would willingly back an initiative like the IPTL, given the returns on investment. “The concept is unique and friendly and everyone loves it, be it the players or the spectators. So I don’t see any reason why we cannot continue being with it as well,” Gadoya said.

“The IPTL is similar to the T20 format in cricket and I think it certainly has a future,” he added.

Last year, the fourth and final round of IPTL was held in Dubai. But this year, Dubai will host the penultimate round from December 14-16 before the final round and finals in Singapore on December 18-20.