DUBAI // Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovic will lead the UAE Royals squad for the second season of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
They will be joined by Goran Ivanisevic, Tomas Berdych, Kristina Mladenovic and Daniel Nestor in the franchise-based team competition that takes place during the ATP off-season.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic, who led the Royals last season, has moved to the Singapore Slammers.
The other teams in the competition will be holders Indian Aces, Singapore Slammers, Philippine Mavericks (formerly Manila Mavericks) and newcomers Japan Warriors who will be led by World No 4 Kei Nishikori.
The action begins on December 2 with the UAE leg from December 14-16 at the Dubai Aviation Club, having moved from the Hamdan Sports Complex.
New UAE Royals co-owner and captain of the India Test cricket team, Virat Kohli, said he was delighted at the inclusion of Federer, who last year represented Indian Aces.
“I am pleasantly delighted to be here. I’d like to thank the UAE Royals for making this happen,” Kohli said when the team was announced in Dubai. “When I look at the team, I think we should be winning this year.”
According to the competition’s format, each match consists of five sets; men’s singles, women’s singles, mixed doubles, men’s doubles and a men’s legends’ singles, with the order of play decided by the home team.
Serena Williams, the women's world No 1, leads the Philippine Mavericks while Rafael Nadal is the star attraction for the Indian Aces
This year final round will take place in Singapore.
Fixtures
Japan
December 2 – Japan Warriors v UAE Royals; Indian Aces v Singapore Slammers
December 3 – Japan Warriors v Singapore Slammers; Philippine Mavericks v UAE Royals
December 4 – Japan Warriors v Indian Aces; Philippine Mavericks v Singapore Slammers
Manila
December 6 – Philippine Mavericks v UAE Royals; Singapore Slammers v Japan Warriors
December 7 – Philippine Mavericks v Japan Warriors; Indian Aces v UAE Royals
December 8 – Philippine Mavericks v Indian Aces; UAE Royals v Singapore Slammers
New Delhi
December 10 – Indian Aces v Singapore Slammers; Japan Warriors v UAE Royals
December 11 – Indian Aces v Japan Warriors; Singapore Slammers v Philippine Mavericks
December 12 – Indian Aces v UAE Royals; Japan Warriors v Philippine Mavericks
Dubai
December 14 – UAE Royals v Philippine Mavericks; Indian Aces v Japan Warriors
December 15 – UAE Royals v Singapore Slammers; Philippine Mavericks v Indian Aces
December 16 – UAE Royals v Japan Warriors; Singapore Slammers v Indian Aces
Singapore
December 18 – Singapore Slammers v Philippine Mavericks; UAE Royals v Indian Aces
December 19 – Singapore Slammers v UAE Royals; Philippine Mavericks v Japan Warriors
December 20 - Final
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