International Premier Tennis League: Indian Aces – Delhi
International Premier Tennis League: Indian Aces – Delhi
The Indian Aces are one of four teams competing in the 2014 International Premier Tennis League. They have adopted the classic Indian colours of orange and green and are led by French legend Fabrice Santoro, who is sure to add some entertainment to the side based in Delhi. Roger Federer and Gael Monfils join forces for the Indian Aces, with Monfils having dispatched Federer in the Davis Cup final only last week.
The IPTL is a unique tennis competition that follows a league system and some slightly different points scoring. For full information on the format of the IPTL, follow this link to understand what is going on.
Background
The original plans for the 2014 International Premier Tennis League set out that one of the franchises would play their matches in Mumbai, but the owners stated that their preference would be for the team to be based in New Delhi. Whilst there was some controversy surrounding the ownership of the franchise, eventually Micromax Informatics Ltd. confirmed that they were in charge of the team.
At the inaugural draft, Rafael Nadal was one of the Indian Aces Icon Players, although his troublesome appendix has caused him to withdraw from the first year of the IPTL. Roger Federer has since stepped in to lead the Indian Aces on court and fans are likely to be even happier with the replacement.
The Indian Aces play the first ever match in IPTL history on Friday 28th November against the Singapore Slammers. This will be played at a neutral venue in the Philippines and it will be our first taste of action with the new scoring system and unique format.
Roster
Men
Fabrice Santoro
Rohan Bopanna
Roger Federer
Gaël Monfils
Pete Sampras
Women
Ana Ivanovic
Sania Mirza
Schedule – Indian Aces
| Match | Date | Venue | Opponent |
| 1 | 28-Nov | Philippines | Singapore Slammers |
| 2 | 29-Nov | Philippines | Manila Mavericks |
| 3 | 30-Nov | Philippines | UAE Royals |
| 4 | 02-Dec | Singapore | UAE Royals |
| 5 | 03-Dec | Singapore | Singapore Slammers |
| 6 | 04-Dec | Singapore | Manila Mavericks |
| 7 | 06-Dec | India | Manila Mavericks |
| 8 | 07-Dec | India | Singapore Slammers |
| 9 | 08-Dec | India | UAE Royals |
| 10 | 11-Dec | UAE | Singapore Slammers |
| 11 | 12-Dec | UAE | UAE Royals |
| 12 | 13-Dec | UAE | Manila Mavericks |
Icon Players
Fans of the Indian Aces and followers of the IPTL must have had their heart in their mouth when Rafael Nadal announced he would miss the remainder of the 2014 as he required surgery to remove his inflamed appendix. However, Roger Federer stepped up to fill the void left by Nadal and will be a huge attraction for the fans.
Federer will be in buoyant mood having returned to his top form this season, finishing at number 2 in the world and helping his country to their first Davis Cup triumph. He clearly feels like his body is up to the strain of an extended season, which is promising for fans who thought his advancing years might limit his participation in these kind of events.
14 time Grand Slam winner Pete Sampras joins Federer on the Indian Aces team for the IPTL in what is an all-star cast for the Delhi based franchise. It will be interesting to see what state Sampras’ game is in heading into fellow legends of the game, with a match up against Andre Agassi likely to be an engaging affair.
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