RICKY DIMON DELIVERS TENNIS NEWS FROM IPTL , IT’S OFF TO AN AWESOME START AND WILL ONLY GET BETTERER WITH FEDERER

Written by: Staff on 4th December 2014

RICKY DIMON DELIVERS TENNIS NEWS FROM IPTL , IT'S OFF TO AN AWESOME START AND WILL ONLY GET BETTERER WITH FEDERER

epa04508654 Gael Monfils of France in action against Andy Murray of Britain during their match at the first leg of International Tennis Premier League (IPTL) at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay city, south of Manila, Philippines, 29 November 2014. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO |

IPTL off to an awesome start and will only get betterer with Federer

By Ricky Dimon

If you’re suffering from boredom almost two weeks into tennis’ offseason, give the International Premier Tennis League a try. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

The IPTL is a two-week event that began last Friday and features four teams based in the Philippines, Singapore, India and the United Arab Emirates. It includes stars of the past the present, and the future who are competing both to win and clearly to have some fun.

Among the throng of well-known participants are Tomas Berdych, Nick Kyrgios, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic, Goran Ivanisevic, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, and Caroline Wozniacki.

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in action against Serena Williams of the USA during their match of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Singapore, 04 December 2014. The IPTL, which features four teams made out of a hybrid mix of current and former men’s and women’s players, is on its second leg in Singapore, after starting in the Phillipines, and will continue in New Delhi and conclude in Dubai. EPA/WALLACE WOON

Federer is set to join the Micromax Indian Aces this weekend as the schedule moves from Singapore to India. The Aces are in first place through six rounds of matches, three for each team in both the Philippines and Singapore.

“It won’t be my first time in India, but it’ll be my first time to play tennis,” Federer said. “And that moment you walk onto the court or into the stadium, that’s why I play tennis.

“I’m going to India for that feeling–playing tennis, showing what I can do, bringing over my personality, sharing the fun and all that with the people. Obviously I’m going to meet a ton of people, get a sense for how it is locally there. It’s going to be crazy, but I’m prepared for that.”

The Aces have four wins and two losses, leaving them ahead of second-place UAE and Manila (both of those teams have three wins and three losses). The Singapore Slammers are in the last with two wins and four losses, but they have won two matches in a row and lead the league in fun.

If you don’t already follow Berdych and Kyrgios on Twitter and Instagram, you should do so if you want an inside look at the IPTL. The IPTL and Singapore Slammers’ Twitter accounts are also worth a follow. As you will see on those social networks, this team concept is helping the players enjoy tennis in a much different context than the normal tournament setting.

Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and Serena Williams of the USA in action against Kristina Mladenovic of France and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia during their match of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) in Singapore, 04 December 2014. The IPTL, which features four teams made out of a hybrid mix of current and former men’s and women’s players, is on its second leg in Singapore, after starting in the Phillipines, and will continue in New Delhi and conclude in Dubai. EPA/WALLACE WOON

From the looks of it, the brainchild of managing director Mahesh Bhupathi is here to stay. The IPTL is great way for players and fans to remain involved in the game during the offseason before the 2015 ATP and WTA campaigns kick off next month.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand.

Topics: Federer, Gael Monfils, IPTL, Kyrgios, Ricky Dimon, Serena Williams, Sharapova, tennis update, Tomas Berdych, Tsonga

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10sBalls_com says:

December 4, 2014 at 12:46 pm

RICKY DIMON DELIVERS #TENNIS NEWS FROM #IPTL, IT’S OFF TO AN AWESOME START AND WILL ONLY GET #BETTERER WITH #FEDERER http://t.co/PjRR0UxhBY
markalannixon says:

December 4, 2014 at 8:19 pm

Tennis news from the IPTL with @RD_Tennistalk :”It’s off to an awesome start.” http://t.co/Y3fdT7Wm7r