Dubai: Teams representing Mumbai, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong will make up the field at the inaugural edition of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) later this year.
Scheduled to kick off at the end of November, the IPTL had made an announcement of the league through Indian tennis ace and co-founder Mahesh Bhupathi during the French Open in May last year.
The IPTL is a first of its kind endeavour in Asia, bringing together some of the best male and female professional tennis players along with some of the past legends from across the globe to give fans the opportunity to witness something new and exciting.
Modelled after the popular IPL in cricket, the IPTL — to be held between November 28 and December 20 — seeks to cater to the growing popularity of tennis in Asia with teams playing against each other on a home-and-away basis to decide the winner.
“We are happy to announce the ownership of teams and therefore competition in Bangkok, Singapore, Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. We have been working relentlessly to formulate and deliver a concept that not only meets global expectations of excellence, but also provides quality tennis coupled with entertainment for fans. We have confirmed team owners in five of Asia’s biggest markets,” Bhupathi told Gulf News from Melbourne.
“The IPTL will be played in the very traditional landscape of professional tennis within a league that promises to be innovative within, serving a new time-sensitive format, while keeping true to all the characteristics that make tennis a unique sport,” the Indian doubles ace added.
Dubai will play a huge role in the development and launch of the series with the official player draft scheduled to be released here on March 2, a day after the conclusion of the annual Dubai Tennis Championships. “All eyes will be on the IPTL and on Dubai to see where the players will be playing,” Bhupathi said.
Boris Becker, the co-owner of the new competition with Bhupathi, said: “This is something that tennis needs. Back in my time, we would have loved to have a series of tournaments in Asia, where the demand for world-class tennis as an entertainment concept merges with the needs and wishes of millions of fans.”
Experienced Australian player Lleyton Hewitt was among the first to confirm his participation in the IPTL. “I wait to see whose team I am on, I do not have any preferences as I know there are a lot of fans waiting to see world-class tennis in all cities,” Hewitt said.
The international TV rights agency MP and Silva have acquired the rights to the IPTL and will be distributing broadcast rights of the league on a world-wide platform.
