LEAGUE TENNIS HEATS UP IN INDIA / TOP ATP & WTA PLAYERS TO PLAY

Written by: Staff on 16th July 2014

LEAGUE TENNIS HEATS UP IN INDIA / TOP ATP & WTA PLAYERS TO PLAY |

Amritraj Denies That Champions Tennis League Is Competition For ITPL

The former Indian tennis player Vijay Amritraj says the Champions Tennis League (CTL) he is launching with the All India Tennis Association (AITA) should not be seen as competition for the International Tennis Premier League (ITPL) being launched by Indian doubles player Mahesh Bhupathi.

He does not expect his league to turn a profit until its third year.

The CTL will be played across five or six Indian cities during November 17-26, while the ITPL will be contested in five Asian cities from November 28 to December 28.

”The great thing here is that Mahesh has taken initiative to do international tennis across Asia, which is fantastic for Asian cities. We are doing it in India, which will be great for India cities, that’s the key element and driving force,” Amritraj told Indian newswire PTI. “There is only that much of a window to do it. The advantage is that players can play one or both. If they don’t want to play either, it’s up to them.”

One of the goals of the CTL is to increase the amount of professional tennis in India, where the sport is popular but there are few tour events. The teams will also include a junior boy and girl from each of the five cities to assist junior development.

“The international calendar is very full. It’s difficult to get an ATP or WTA tournament, so when we were discussing this concept, we were trying to put it together so that we are able to get international tennis in different cities in India,” he said.

Teams will be from the cities of Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, with a sixth location being considered.

Amritraj was reported to have said the league, not the team owners, would pay the players. Team owners have not yet been identified. “Owners will be able to sell tickets,” said Amritraj.

The CTL, is looking to include top 20 players, is a smaller operation than the ITPL, which has teams from Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai and Manila

Both leagues are scheduled for the offseason of the ATP and WTA tours.

Topics: All India Tennis Association, Atp, Champions Tennis League, India, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Tennis, Tennis News, Vijay Amritraj, Wta

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July 16, 2014 at 11:04 am

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July 16, 2014 at 11:06 am

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