IPTL’s break from the format could become the norm

Novak Djokovic is one of the big names lending his star power to the inaugural season of the International Premier Tennis League. Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images

After months of teasing tennis fans with slogans such as "Break the Code", the International Premier Tennis League finally begins Friday with a star-studded ensemble and an innovative new short format.

Fans in Manila will be the first to vote on the viability of this franchisee-based tennis league, which has attracted some of the biggest names in the sport. The IPTL will then travel to Singapore and India before completing their first season at the Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai, the home of the UAE Royals, in the second week of December.

Inspired by the success of cricket’s Indian Premier League, the IPTL has been creating a buzz from the start with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray among the first to get on board.

There has been some criticism, not directed at the IPTL, but the players. They have been complaining about the virtually year-long tennis calendar but see no harm in committing themselves to a tournament during their supposed rest and recuperation period.

The ATP and the WTA have generally avoided making any comments about the league but, last month, the ATP president Chris Kermode described it as “just a series of glorified exhibitions”.

While there might be some truth to that assessment, fans in the four countries that the ITPL will visit this year might not really care for such criticism.

Tennis enthusiasts in Manila, or in New Delhi, would have probably never got a chance to watch top stars like Roger Federer, Djokovic, Murray, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in flesh, if not for Mahesh Bhupathi’s enterprise.

For them, then, the IPTL is a rare opportunity and, if the packed stadiums at the Indian Soccer League matches are any indication, these “glorified exhibitions” could become a pretty important fixture for the top stars of tennis.

JUST THE FACTS

What is the IPTL?

A brainchild of Indian doubles star Mahesh Bhupathi, the team competition has attracted some of the sport’s biggest names such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Kristina Mladenovic. They will represent four franchisee-owned teams: Manila Mavericks, Singapore Slammers, Indian Aces and the UAE Royals.

Break the code

The IPTL could spice up the sport with innovations, such as a seven-point tiebreaker at 5-5 instead of 6-6, and a “power point”.

• Each team can call a power point once in each single-set match when on the receiver’s side and the next point played will count double.

• Each tie will consist of five single-set matches: men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and past champion singles. Each game won will be worth one point and the team that has won the greater number of games at the end of those five matches will be the winner of the tie. If both teams have won the same number of games, the winner will be decided by a seven-point “shoot-out”.

• There will be a shot clock to make sure players take no more than 20 seconds between points. A maximum of three minutes will be allowed between matches.

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