We run training and camps with the world's best tennis academies: Aditya Khanna, Head, PTL Group

Aditya Khanna, a 40-year entrepreneur, has spread his wings across several domains, but his heart remains with tennis. Khanna is the owner and director of various companies across industries that deal with infrastructure, real estate, textiles, sports academies, and education. Sportskeeda got up close and personal with the businessman and spoke to him about his efforts in developing the tennis scene in India, his views on the current infrastructure of tennis, initiatives across industries, and more.

PTL Group founder Aditya Khanna

Despite his involvement in various lines of work, Khanna has always placed tennis as his top priority. He said:

I’ve been involved in tennis since I was a kid. I played the junior circuit for a bit and was part of the Junior Indian team. Though I decided not to go pro and instead focused on my academics. I moved to the United Kingdom for that - I studied at Oxford and the London School of Economics and started working in banking. But my love for tennis never faded. I continued to be a huge fan of the sport which I feel had made me the person I am, and Pro Tennis League is a way for me to give back to India and to the sport I love the most.

What is the PTL Group involved in?

PTL Group is the organizer of the Pro Tennis League, Legends Tennis League, Global Professional Tennis Coach Association courses, camps with the world's best tennis academies, and other tennis-related ventures. It also owns the Pro Tennis League (PTL) - a ProAm league featuring India's best tennis players, besides being the organizer of the Legends Tennis League (LTL) that features senior tennis stars.

Aditya Khanna in action

Speaking about his journey towards starting the PTL Group, the businessman said:

When I came back to India, I wanted to actively play tennis. So I started playing a lot of club tournaments. I really started enjoying the sport. Then I started playing on the ITF World Masters Tour (previously known as ITF Seniors Tour). I understood the fitness demands are very high, so I started training rigorously and also I started meeting a lot of people on the tour and I realised there is a huge demand for quality products and services related to tennis. So I started PTL Group.

On the growth of the business body, Khanna added:

Our mission at PTL Group is to help Indian tennis grow. We organise Pro Tennis League (PTL), Legends Tennis League (LTL), run training academies and camps with the world's best tennis academies: Alberto Castellani, Angelique Kerber, & Janko Tipsarević, and other tennis-related ventures. I’m proud of the work we are doing.

Aditya Khanna has also been the tournament director for a number of important international tennis tournaments, including:

Davis Cup 2016 (India vs Spain at RK Khanna Tennis Stadium)

Davis Cup 2022 (India vs Denmark at Delhi Gymkhana Club)

Junior Davis Cup 2022 (Asia-Oceania Qualifiers at RK Khanna Tennis Stadium)

Junior Billie Jean King Cup 2022 (Asia-Oceania Qualifiers at RK Khanna Tennis Stadium)

Khanna spoke about his experience of hosting the tournament, adding:

I get to learn so much about sports administration and event management through these tournaments. All the six events I’ve worked on as an admin are equally important to me - be it the India vs Spain tie in which Rafael Nadal played or the Junior Davis Cup earlier this year - we put in the same efforts - to make the event as great as possible.

On the topic of the growth of tennis in India through his eyes, he said:

The sport has been growing immensely. Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza are the biggest sports stars in India. There are a lot of talented players who are climbing up the rankings. I see player participation increasing at all levels - juniors, pros and seniors. Tennis fans are following the action on TV and streaming platforms regularly. The Davis Cup tie in New Delhi where I was the Tournament Director earlier this year was packed with fans and I was happy to see that. The excitement around PTL due next month is very visible on social media. Tennis will continue to evolve and thrive in India.

Khanna also spoke about the tournaments that are organized by PTL Group:

We organise two leagues - LTL for the seniors and PTL for all professionals. In both leagues, we’ve introduced formats and rules that make tennis faster and more exciting. We are also making more young players participate in the event - the two Next Gen categories in PTL exist for the same reason.

The Pro Tennis League (PTL), one of India's most popular tennis leagues, is set for a Season 4 comeback. Indian tennis stars Ramkumar Ramanathan and Yuki Bhambri will headline the event scheduled to take place from December 1-5 at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium in New Delhi.

Khanna expressed satisfaction with how the tournament has grown over the years:

These past four years have been an extraordinary journey for PTL and all its stakeholders. In this competitive world of professional sports, it is one of the few sporting leagues in India that have blossomed into an established league in its own right. We believe our noble intention, efforts and spirit to help Indian tennis are the reason for our success so far. I’m satisfied with the growth and you will see the best-ever PTL next month.

The Pro Tennis League will feature a total of eight teams, a larger playing field than before, and the introduction of both new and established teams making their debuts. Season 4 will feature the best male and female tennis players in India as well as the top junior and senior players in the nation as they vie for the coveted title over a span of five days in the cold New Delhi winter.

The tournament will play host to tennis stars such as Ramkumar Ramanathan and Grand Slam winner Matthew Ebden ply their trade. Speaking on the presence of big names at the event, Khanna said:

Of course, we are proud to have both Ram and Matt playing in PTL. India’s top player and current Wimbledon Champion participating in PTL is important to us. But we are also glad to have support from each and every player across 8 teams - without them, this isn’t possible. PTL was created for them and they are our stars! Every player Men, Women, Juniors, EX pros have so much contribution towards the sport and brining all together makes it a success. PTL is about every Indian Tennis player and not just the few top players.

With the help of such excellent talent, PTL hopes to boost the popularity of tennis in the country, support new talent, provide opportunities for up-and-coming players, make traditional tennis entertaining to watch and play, and ultimately aid in the sport's expansion across the nation.