IPTL 2015 – It's Tennis Time!
It seems, “Premier Leagues” are in fashion! Be it cricket, football or kabaddi, sports fans are loving it. Among these so called “Leagues”, the latest to join is “International Premier Tennis League”. Founded by the Indian ace tennis player, Mahesh Bhupati in 2014, the league has garnered a lot of fame and success in its inaugural season itself. It has brought the best of tennis players from across the globe to play together. This season, it is all set to return – bigger and better.
IPTL 2015 will see five teams, representing five countries. The five IPTL teams this year are, Japan Warriors, the Micromax Indian Aces, the Philippine Mavericks, the Singapore Slammers and the UAE Royals! Last year, there were four teams. Japan Warriors is the new addition this time. The format of the league is such that each team has a balanced mix of 7 - 8 players. Certain rules and code of conduct are laid down by International Tennis Federation, which will govern the event. A match comprises of five sets, each of a different category. They are: Men's Singles, Women's Singles, Men's Doubles and Mixed Doubles and Past Champions' Singles. With the names of the players like, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova, Sania Mirza and Serena Williams, up on the list, fans are eagerly waiting for the competition to kick start.
The fans of Serena Williams in Philippines, have a reason to rejoice. This year, replacing Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams will be leading the Philippine Mavericks.The American World No. 1 is the star player of the team, accompanied by players like, Sabine Lisicki and Jarmila Gajdosova. Last year, the Mavericks gave a superb performance and were placed in the third position. This season, they have more depth in their team. With the presence of star player like, Serena Williams and the fresh and promising talents like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Borna Coric, the team is definitely looking pretty strong.
The auction of the players for this season was held in Dubai in April 2015. More than 80 players were up for the auction, out of which 37 players went to the five franchise teams. The tournament will be played in Japan from 2nd December and will go on till 20th of December. The inaugural season was the massive success with the fans from all over the world flying to Asia to witness their favorite players playing live.
With IPTL 2015, Asia has again become a favorite destination for tennis lovers. Get ready for the finest tennis this season, as the tickets will go live any time soon!
