Thousands turn out to watch top tennis stars at the Coca-Cola IPTL presented by Qatar Airways

Novak Djokovic poses with the fans in Dubai

DOHA, Qatar – Thousands of tennis enthusiasts turned up in Dubai last weekend to cheer the most iconic stars in tennis at the sports’ latest and most exciting spectacle, the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) presented by Qatar Airways.

Micromax Indian Aces, who charmed tennis lovers in Manila, Singapore and New Delhi over the previous two weeks, were crowned champions on December 13 at the last step of the tour in Dubai, after an exhilarating finale match witnessed by thousands of fans.

IPTL brought the excitement of the league format to a sport followed by millions across the world by featuring current and former ATP and WTA players in its inaugural season from 28 November until 13 December 2014. In this quicker and exciting format the League broke the traditional etiquette of tennis with first time features such as time-outs, Happiness PowerPoints, shoot-outs, a running shot clock and exciting live in-game entertainment.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to have received such an encouraging response from sports aficionados in all four cities as part of this new League. Partnering with IPTL reaffirms our long-standing history of associating with large-scale sporting events which allow us to connect with supporting fans and legendary sports stars around the globe, and this event was a perfect example of that."

After a competitive series of matches in Manila, Singapore and Delhi, the League travelled to Dubai last weekend for the season finale. The championship featured renowned players such as Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Sania Mirza and others playing for four franchises – the Manila Mavericks, DBS Singapore Slammers, Micromax Indian Aces and the Musafir.com UAE Royals, each of which had a team of sports legends and current stars.

In its capacity as Presenting Sponsor, Qatar Airways secured exclusive booths at the stadiums in Dubai and New Delhi with an activity area where tennis enthusiasts and the airline’s loyal customers got a chance to take pictures against backdrop images of Qatar Airways' A380 aircraft and the much-loved FC Barcelona team.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 144 aircraft to 146 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.