IPTL (International Premier Tennis League) will begin in November 28 – December 20, 2014. It is a new league but plans are underway. The founders made sure that the new league will be different from the others. This league targets young Asians. It’s ideas are fresh and new. The details were announced at the Australian Open.
If you are a tennis enthusiast, this is something to look forward to. Here are some things that you need to know about IPTL:
Casts
Young audience should expect top notch casts. Famous players like Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Li Na, Pete Sampras, Carlos Koya, Lleyton Hewitt, Victoria Azarenka, Thomas Berdych and many more will come. Roger Federer will not be there.
Brains behind it
Everything was the idea of Mahesh Bhupathi. The founders are Coris Becker and Justin Gimelstob. Andy Murray invested in the products. IPTL is more than money, earning and playing. Further details will be revealed in the coming days.
Hosts and franchises
IPTL chose four cities for their inauguration – Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Bangkok and Singapore. The fifth city is yet to be announced but it is a Middle Eastern city. The cities will also be considered franchises. The teams will receive a salary limit of $10 million. It will also cover a minimum spend of about $4 million.
Format
The format is new. IPTL stresses that the team with the most games finished will win. This is completely different compared to other tournaments. Other tournaments decide the winner based on the sets. Every match includes 5 sets – men’s singles, women’s singles, one men’s doubles, mixed doubles and men’s legends singles. In the case of tie, there will be a deciding match.
