It is entertainment, pure and simple. The benefits percolating into the grassroots of Indian tennis may not commensurate with the investments being made in organising the first edition of the Champions Tennis League (CTL). But, it will be unfair to expect rich and quick returns for the game in the country by lining up a series of stars.
There is definitely a market for a different, abridged version of sports, much against the hard core competition at the highest level. A variety of games, including kabaddi, have shown the way.
As the country’s No.1 player and gold medallist in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, Somdev Devvarman observed, there will be a welcome buzz about the game in the country when the different leagues unfold.
Of course, there was not much of a buzz at the R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium, when the likes of the former women’s world No.1 Jelena Jankovic and world No.16 Kevin Anderson, who made the fourth round of three Grand Slams this season, had a training stint on an outside court at the DLTA Complex on Sunday.
The organisers looked to have kept the whole show under wraps, possibly waiting to spring everything into life with the first match between Delhi and Punjab on Monday at 5 p.m.
The presence of the legends, the former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero and the former world No. 4 Greg Rusedski, the Indian Davis Cuppers Leander Paes, Somdev Devvarman and Sanam Singh should strike a healthy vibe among the spectators, who are listed to have grabbed all the available tickets.
It remains to be seen, whether the ‘sold out’ sticker on the official website for sale of tickets ensure a vibrant atmosphere at the stadium, over the next two days, with the second match lined up at 8 p.m. on Tuesday between Delhi and Mumbai.
It will also be interesting to see how well, Leander, Somdev and Garbine Muguruza manage the fortunes of Punjab, with the tie to be decided on the maximum number of games won, irrespective of the results of the individual rubbers.
A team can win three of the five matches and may still lose ! Of course, in such an entertainment, winning and losing may not matter much, even though the spectators may love to believe in intense competition.
