Why the International Premier Tennis League is an exciting proposition for tennis

Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have given their commitment to the IPTL, but Federer hasn’t

The buzz around the tennis world right now is the newly conceived tournament, the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), which is the brainchild of India’s ace tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi.

The tournament promises to be an exciting opportunity for players, both past and present, and the fans, making it a gala event to be played during the limited off-season in the tour.

The IPTL is a spinoff of the popular Indian Premier League, and it is set to be played in an unconventional manner – teams of 6 to 10 players will compete against each other in five single set matches – men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and legends singles.

If it pans out successfully, the IPTL could be a force to reckon with as a tournament in the coming years, and could be just the event which spices up the monotonous ATP calendar.

Here are a few factors which make the IPTL unique and a potential goldmine for all people involved:

The uniqueness of the format

The format in itself is very different compared to a standard tennis tournament. It has a Davis Cup structure to it, which is an instant crowd-puller. The game rules have been slightly tweaked to ensure the matches finish within three hours, thus making it ideal for all who are watching. Moreover, the fact that the legends of the game will be playing side by side with the best of the current generation, in a non-exhibition format, makes for a very exciting event.

Imagine the possibilities – Sampras vs Agassi; Rafter vs Ivanisevic; Martina Hingis vs Daniela Hantuchova and of course Nadal vs Djokovic, all at the same event.

The crowd-pulling factors

Tennis has been growing in popularity in recent years, thanks to the worldwide appeal of the “Big 4″. But the youth of today would not have had a chance to witness the great players of yesteryear. This tournament gives them that golden opportunity. And it could be a huge crowd-puller for the older generation as well, who would get a chance to watch their personal favourites battle it out again.

The IPTL logo

The big money involved

Money plays a big part in the IPTL (Rafael Nadal is reportedly expected to earn $1 million per night). The top players typically spend their one month off the tour by rehabilitating or going on tours to different parts of the world and playing exhibition matches. Of late, this has been a period of time for them to fill their money bags. The ITPL could, however, be the biggest money spinner of them all, considering the amount of money involved.

The growth of tennis’s popularity in Asia

The tournament is scheduled to be played in four different venues across Asia – Singapore, Bangkok,Dubai and Mumbai. While tennis is growing in popularity in these regions, it is not yet as popular as it is in Europe and America. The IPTL could go a long way in bridging that gap and increasing tennis’s presence in these regions.

Apart from the above listed positives, the tournament could also be a platform for local/native players to display their skills on the global stage. Rubbing shoulders with the best in the business can prove to be an invaluable learning experience for these players.

The IPTL has received the thumbs up from many top players, with Novak Djokovic calling it a “fantastic” concept. He will be joined by Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and a host of other top players. The notable exceptions are Roger Federer, who has chosen to wait it out before committing, as he wants to “see whether it takes off or not”, and Maria Sharapova, who is seemingly not interested in the event.

While it could be argued that the IPTL would only further the strains on the players, giving them no time to relax, that might be an empty worry considering the marquee players are allowed to pick and choose which matches they would be playing. In any case, the players usually play exhibitions and undergo intense training during the off-season. They might even be able to use this tournament as a warm up for the new season, while enjoying and delighting fans at the same time.

It might not yet be THE game-changer, but the IPTL sure is an exciting proposition, and everyone’s eyes would be on how it pans out in the coming months.