Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova on Indian soils! Now that’s magnanimous for any Indian tennis fan who would like to see these greats descend on our ‘˜desi’ soil and light up the day.
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova on Indian soils!
Now that’s magnanimous for any Indian tennis fan who would like to see these greats descend on our ‘desi’ soil and light up the day.
Introducing the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) that brings the modern-day maestros from the men’s tennis and astounding talents of the women’s joining forces alongside some of the past icons as tennis mania goes to a whole new level.
Initiated by Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, IPTL can be compared to the glitzy cricket affair of the IPL as four teams in four Asian cities showcases supreme tennis players of not one, but two, generations in a first ever tourney.
Just as the cricket’s shorter format T20 has its set of rules, IPTL will also bend the rules of tennis for this format as we see some new regulations being introduced.
In this adventurous format, we will see the four teams battling out on the court that will consist of five one-set matches, with no advantages and the first to reach 6 games, wins the tie. Also introduced is a 20-second shot-clock between points that will guarantee quick play and if a set is tied at 5-5, players will be allowed to go in a timed shoot-out in which they must gather the most points before time is up.
Furthermore, there’s more on the way as well with players also giving the advantage of a “power point” once per set, which means the next point will be doubled.
Even as many fans and some players might get time to acclimatise to the rules, former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray has given his thumbs up to the new and adjusted rule.
He said, “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 team mates as well and put them in as strong a position as possible at the end of your own set in the match,” he said.
Besides, if a fan is still not ‘full’ with the addition of Federer and Djokovic; well there’s Caroline Wozniacki, Tomas Berdych, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Maria Sharapova to fill up the ‘oomph’ factor.
Indian fans GET ready!
Just when the fanatics of IPL and the CLT20 were reaching its peak, this IPTL will get you out of the seat. The great Roger Federer has never arrived on Indian shores before but thanks to IPTL, every fan in India will see the 17-time Grand Slam winner lead the country to glory.
What more, the grunts of Maria Sharapova and the antics of Novak Djokovic will also be a fun addition! So here’s cheers to the IPTL and let’s get set to slam some aces.
