Top 5 moments involving the UAE Royals players in the first 3 legs of IPTL 2015

The UAE Royals might be currently placed at No. 3 on the Team Standings at the 2015 International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) but the team members have conjured up enough magic on the court to give the fans some exhilarating moments.Ana Ivanovic, Tomas Berdych, Daniel Nestor, Kristina Mladenovic and Goran Ivanisevic all contributed to making these memorable moments for the Dubai franchise during the first three legs of the IPTL2 at Kobe, Manila and New Delhi. Berdych and Ivanovic have completed their obligations with the team, but the Royals have an added fillip in the form of the 17-time Major winner Roger Federer.(For tickets to UAE Royals matches, click here).With the Swiss maestro coming in, there is surely more such magic waiting for the 2014 IPTL runners-up in the subsequent matches. For now, let us have a look at five glorious moments of the UAE Royals from the first three legs of the tournament:

#5 The brilliant Berdych volley

World No. 6 Tomas Berdych can be quite an intimidating challenge when he is on song. The Czech's aggressive, penetrating groundstrokes are capable of hurting even the world's topmost stars. Berdych brought forth his repertoire of shots when he locked horns with Philipp Kohlschreiber in the men's singles set during the UAE Royals vs Japan Warriors showdown at Kobe.

Dazzling and dominant, the former Wimbledon runner-up Berdych was in full flow against the German, over whom he has an 8-1 head-to-head record. With effortless movement and impressive depth, he kept Kohlschreiber out of the court and finished with exquisite touch at the net.

#4 The underrated Ivanovic backhand

2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic's smooth forehand is regarded as her biggest asset. But what about her backhand, which can heap misery on her opponents almost equally well?

The former World No. 1 gave testimony of her less-famous shot and its supreme accuracy during the UAE Royals' face-off with the Japan Warriors in New Delhi. During the women's singles set, the 81st-ranked Kurumi Nara threw everything at her, showing her exceptional defense. But the World No. 16 Ivanovic was not to be outdone!

She retrieved everything with some admirable footwork and then outsmarted the Japanese with an intelligent, low backhand that Nara had no answer to.

#3 The sensational Ivanisevic volley

One of the major plus points of the IPTL is that it gives tennis enthusiasts a chance to relish encounters between legends who have long hung up their racquets and left the scene. It certainly evokes nostalgia and a good amount of excitement to see them ply their trade once again, just like they used to do in the bygone days.

Who wouldn't love to see the mercurial and super-talented Marat Safin again? The IPTL brought him back in front of his adoring fans and the Japan Warriors' legend was involved in a mesmerizing point with his old foe Goran Ivanisevic of the UAE Royals, when the two teams clashed in Kobe.

Safin and Ivanisevic rolled back the years to produce some sweet ball-striking, and it was the former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic who emerged victorious with a beautiful volley.

#2 Nestor-Berdych magic

When all four players get thoroughly involved in a point during a doubles contest, it makes for an absolutely electrifying atmosphere. The Manila leg of the IPTL saw quite a few sensational points in men's doubles, and one of them came during the UAE Royals vs Indian Aces encounter.

Tomas Berdych, a World No. 6 player in singles, is not known much for his doubles proficiency, but the commitment and the volley that he displayed to keep this point going was laudable. The exchange also had a wondrous lunging volley from the Aces Ivan Dodig, but the 12-time Grand Slam champion Daniel Nestor of the Royals had the last laugh.

The left-handed Canadian was always the most in control of the point out of the four players and he finished it with an excellent overhead smash.

#1 The Mladenovic tweener

Kristina Mladenovic has had a meteoric rise in the doubles circuit ever since she broke through on the WTA Tour. At 22, she has two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, 12 WTA doubles crowns and currently holds the World No. 9 ranking.

It is no surprise that she has achieved so much at such a young age, given her natural flair. Her stunning reflexes, deft touches, powerful groundstrokes and especially her amazing sense of the court geometry make her an efficient doubles exponent.

The Frenchwoman exhibited all that in the mixed doubles set of the UAE Royals first match at the NewDelhi leg against the Japan Warriors. Mladenovic came up with a superb tweener that totally left the Warriors' Mirjana Lucic-Baroni flat-footed. Needless to say, it earned appreciation from the entire Royals bench.

Surely, her teammate Roger Federer would be proud of that tweener!