#360view: IPTL has a future but Dubai may not be best host

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  • Enjoying IPTL: Andy Murray.

    The IPTL’s second visit to Dubai came to an end on Wednesday night leaving a lasting impression but opening up a stream of question marks about the young and evolving team tennis competition.

    – Reem’s Diary: Hitting with the stars of the IPTL
    – Murray: British No.1 steps up 2016 preparations in Dubai
    – Bencic: Swiss mixed doubles link-up with Wawrinka not confirmed

    For an avid tennis fan, the league should be a real winner. Such an exciting and quick format that puts Andy Murray and Carlos Moya on one bench, pits Marat Safin against Goran Ivanisevic, yet also delivers a showdown between the world’s No. 2 and No. 3 in a fun yet relatively competitive environment.

    A significant percentage of tennis followers who have not attended any of the IPTL stops or have seen just glimpses on TV are calling it a joke. They don’t believe the players are trying and feel the organisers are simply attempting to glorify an exhibition.

    Yes it is an exhibition by definition since it does not belong to the tour and players don’t get ranking points but as Murray pointed out the other day, the level has been higher this year now that everyone involved has got used to the format and the new rules, and the teams essentially want to win.

    There have been some incredible points played over the three days in Dubai and the real shame was that the event wasn’t a sellout each night. There were sparse crowds on day one and three but there was a decent crowd and a vibrant atmosphere for the second night that featured Roger Federer vs Andy Murray.

    At this point, it appears that the people who are enjoying the league are the actual players. Murray pointed out that getting to play Federer in doubles for example is something he might never get the chance to do again and he savoured that moment.

    Many players capitalised on having so many peers around and set up serious practice sessions, conducting their pre-season trainings on the sidelines of the event, while others weren’t as opportunistic and may have let a golden opportunity slip past them.

    A good sign for the IPTL is that most of the players who took part in the first year also signed up for year two, which means they believe in it and want to stay involved.

    Some of them felt the travel was too much and cut down on their commitment like Ana Ivanovic, who played a full IPTL schedule in year one but opted for less in 2015. Things will get tougher to manage if more teams are added next year because that means a longer IPTL season and more travel for the players who are signed up to compete in every city.

    In that regard, a much bigger pool of players is needed while also making sure there is at least one box office name present in each stop.

    The biggest question mark probably is with regards to Dubai. While the emirate is a hub for world sport, it is for that reason that it somehow doesn’t make perfect sense that the IPTL comes here.

    The magic of the IPTL is that it visits Asian cities that do not get any or much live tennis during the year. The UAE has three big events in the Dubai ATP and WTA tournaments held in February and the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition staged in Abu Dhabi around New Year’s each season.

    UAE residents are used to seeing stars like Federer in their backyard and they can even bump into loads of players by visiting any of the hotels and academies where they conduct their preseason training each December.

    Is Dubai really the right city where this league can thrive? The low attendances last year and this week suggest otherwise. Once again, the marketing and advertising for the league in the UAE was not great and Arabic media – except for Abu Dhabi Sports TV who owned the rights – ignored the event.

    Perhaps Dubai is not a dead-end but the advertising must quadruple for it to succeed here next year.

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