Federer to don UAE Royals colours

Dubai - Indian cricket captain Kohli unveiled as co-owner of the team

Tennis fans in the country could not have asked for anything better. Roger Federer, arguably the greatest player ever to have picked up a tennis racquet, will don the UAE Royals colours in the second season of the hugely successful Indian Premier League Tennis (IPTL).
The Federer-led team of stars will also have the backing of a cricket superstar. And he is none other than Indian Test captain Virat Kohli. After being unveiled at a Press conference in Dubai on Thursday, Kohli revealed the reasons behind his decision to be part of a tennis revolution.
"I would like to thank the UAE Royals for making this happen. I have always been a big tennis fan. The association is indeed a pleasure for me because this year we have the man in our team, the man the whole world looks up to - Mr Roger Federer," Kohli said.
"And he is probably the main reason why this association happened. I mean I could not miss this opportunity to interact with him. I met him a couple of times. This is the main reason why this association ended up happening."
IPTL, the brainchild of Indian doubles legend Mahesh Bhupathi, is a team event that drew inspiration from cricket's cash-rich Indian Premier League.
The formidable UAE Royals will also have former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych and two-time Grand Slam wining mixed doubles pair Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic.
Also the iconic serve-volleyer Goran Ivanisevic - the only player in history to win a Grand Slam on a wildcard - will be defending the UAE Royals colours in the past champions' singles. Naturally, Kohli is delighted to have players of such class and experience in his team.
"When I looked at the team, I felt that we should be lifting the trophy this season. We really have a quality line-up," he said. Kohli also felt the new tennis league would continue to woo the fans.
"Having seen a few of the games from last year's edition, I know there would be plenty of exciting tennis in store again for the fans. The thing that stands out for me is that the players from an individual sport get to play a team event. Celebrating a point or a win with teammates is a feeling that individual players don't experience too often. We cricketers have that privilege because we play a team sport. I know for a fact that the players would be loving it again in the IPTL.
"This tournament is doing a tremendous job and hopefully I can also contribute in my new role to make this event bigger and better this year. And yes, I am very happy that Dubai will be the home city for our team. It's one of my most favourite cities in the world. I love coming here."
Bhupathi, the managing director of the tournament, thanked the authorities in the UAE for their support. "I would like to thank Dubai Sports Council and Tennis Emirates for their continued support. They have played a big part in making the IPTL and the UAE Royals successful. Hopefully this year the event will be even better.
"Last year was our first year. There were a lot of questions asked. But the event went off very well.
"This year we have been able to add a new team in Japan. It's a very exciting highlight for us. "Japan is a very big market commercially. Kei Nishikori is currently ranked four in the world. In the context of tennis in Asia, I think it's a big boost for us. Obviously we have also added Rafael Nadal. Overall, we are hoping for a bigger and better season."
Ghazi Al Madani, Manager of Sports Tourism for Dubai Sports Council, hailed the success of IPTL. "Last year was the beginning for IPTL. But it wasn't the end. The show continues. The Dubai Sports Council aims to support all those events that are aiming to get bigger and better every year," he said.
"This is a city of more than 200 nationalities, different languages and this city is also a major sporting venue." The second edition of the IPTL will be held from December 2 to December 20. The UAE leg will be held from December 14 to December 16.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

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