Double digit temperatures in the national capital have delayed the bitter cold which December usually brings. Delhi folks are enjoying a pleasant weather and tennis enthusiasts could not have wished for more. The inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) which has been attracting maddening crowds in Manila and Singapore is all set to spread its magic in Delhi.
The Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium awaits for the three day thrill starting from 6th December to 8th December. Since the venue is indoors, the weather is not to be much of a worry. Another added advantage is the weekend schedule which means expectancy of a much larger crowd. This will be a once in a lifetime experience for fans who have always dreamt of seeing their favourite stars cast a spell on the tennis court.
Even though the Chennai Open, which is held in January every year, also features popular tennis icons. The IPTL is an entirely different affair. After all, how will you ever get to see Sania Mirza teaming up with Roger Federer. Tennis is not as popular as Cricket or Hockey in India, IPTL is a great step to promote the sport.
A total of 29 players have been added to 4 franchise teams namely Indian Aces, Manila Mavericks, Singapore Slammers and UAE Royals. Right from a Pete Sampras admirer to a Novak Djokovic die hard fan, the IPTL will fulfil every tennis fan's desire to witness what they have never seen before. We are not done yet, be prepared to get enchanted by some of the most sensational tennis divas. Some of these starlets include Sania Mirza, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and others.
To make the game more exciting, the format has been tweaked. Every match consists of five sets where each set is being played to six games. At 5-5, the tie breaker (which is a shoot-out) takes place. The duration of the tie breaker is 5 minutes long. None of the players get an advantage at deuce (40-40), the player winning the next point wins the next game. Each team gets a point on winning a game. The team which wins the most number of games is the match winner. If there is a tie, the winner is decided by a super shoot-out.
So far, Delhi's Indian Aces have been dominating the tournament by winning all 3 matches in Manila and a convincing win in Singapore against the UAE Royals. You should definitely expect some power packed action in Delhi as well. Thoroughly missed will be the Spaniard, Rafael Nadal, who due to injuries, could not be a part of the tournament.
