Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Mumbai have been chosen as hosts for the inaugural International Premier Tennis League, with a Middle Eastern city to be announced later, revealed organisers.
The five city franchises, which will draft and pay for a team of players, including some big stars, will play each other home and away in the new event from November 28 to December 20.
Morgan Menahem, the CEO of the IPTL and the agent of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, confirmed four of the five franchises but also suggested that the fifth city could well be based somewhere in the Gulf region.
“We’re in talks with a few people in the region who are interested. There’s definitely some strong interest. We’re really confident that we’ll get a team from the Middle East,” Menahem told Sport360.
Many top players have shown interest and publicised their commitment to playing in the IPTL including the likes of Serena Williams and Tsonga.
Novak Djokovic called the concept “revolutionary” while Andy Murray, who was initially committed to the project, refused to confirm his participation when asked by Sport360 last December during the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi. But the Scot maintains that he still thinks “it’s a good idea”.
Tsonga agrees with Murray, the Frenchman saying: “I think it’s a good idea because it’s going to be good for tennis, it will develop the sport everywhere in the world.”
Co-founder and Indian doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi said the concept was aimed at providing a new, made-for-TV version of tennis with a young, Asian audience in mind.
Ties will consist of a succession of one-set singles and doubles matches with a total time-limit of three-and-a-half hours. The team which finishes with the most games, rather than sets, wins.
"I think the youth of this world are looking for something fun, innovative," Bhupathi told reporters in Melbourne, during the Australian Open. "I think this format brings the biggest stars in the world, creating something new and fresh for tennis."
More details will be released during the year, but Bhupathi said teams will have a salary cap of US$10 million and a minimum spend of US$4 million on between six and 10 players.
The tournament, which aims to expand to more cities in future years, will fall after the traditional tennis season, which is already regarded as congested by some players.
