Mahesh Bhupathi former doubles world no.1 and founder of International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). Mahesh Bhupathi recently stated the changes that are going to made in the second edition of the IPTL. The biggest change Mahesh Bhupathi made to this exciting competition is that the finals would be played between the top two teams.
“It would be more impactful if we had teams playing on the last day to win the title and the trophy,” Bhupathi said. “Last year, by the time the last day came around, the Indian Aces had already won the title. So, the last day lost its charm. This year, we made the change, and Singapore was lucky to get the first rotation of hosting the final.”
The IPTL also limited drafting of players meaning fans can see their favourite stars in the same franchise for at least 2 seasons. “We wanted to build some longevity with the teams, so that the local fans can associate with the player playing for their team for more than just one season. We made a conscious effort to do that. The players were fine with it. The owners were very happy with the thought,” Bhupathi added.
With the IPTL fever catching on, a new team – the Japan Warriors, led by Kei Nishikori and Maria Sharapova has been introduced. “We had a lot of interest after last year from three or four countries,” Bhupathi stated. “Obviously, we need to have sustainable growth from our perspective, but Japan was always a priority. It became a bigger priority when Nishikori became so successful, so we grabbed it with both hands. With Nishikori being as famous as he is in Japan, I’m pretty sure that they will have sell-out crowds.”
Check out your favourite stars from the respective teams:
Philippine Mavericks:
Treat Huey, Serena Williams, Richard Gasquet, Sabine Lisicki, Mark Phillippoussis, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Jarmila Gajdošová, Borna Ćorić
UAE Royals:
Roger Federer, Marin Čilić, Ana Ivanovic, Goran Ivanišević, Tomas Berdych, Daniel Nestor, Kristina Mladenovic
Singapore Slammers:
Carlos Moya, Novak Djokovic, Marcelo Melo, Nick Kyrgios, Karolina Pliskova, Karolina Pliskova, Belinda Bencic
Indian Aces:
Fabrice Santoro, Rohan Bopanna, Agnieszka Radwanska, Sania Mirza, Gaël Monfils, Rafael Nadal, Ivan Dodig
Japan Warriors:
Maria Sharapova, Kei Nishikori, Vasek Pospisil, Leander Paes, Marat Safin, Daniela Hantuchová, Lucas Pouille, Kurumi Nara