World No. 8 Andy Murray has expressed excitement about competing in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) for the Manila Mavericks along with Maria Sharapova, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kirsten Flipkens, Daniel Nestor, Carlos Moya and Treat Huey.
“Playing in Manila will be fun. The fans there don’t get to see a lot of live tennis. With the season being so busy, it can be difficult to take a holiday.
“So, you don’t often get to travel anywhere different to the countries on the Tour,” Murray was quoted as saying in a release issued on Wednesday.
He was pleased with the team format as well as the interesting features like time-outs, power points, shoot outs, a running shot clock, hawk-eye and live entertainment.
“Attracting new fans to the sport is important and I am looking forward to helping take tennis somewhere new. The fact that every game counts towards the team score is also a great idea. You have to think about your teammates as well and put them in as strong a position as possible,” he said.
As per the league format, the total game scores of the two teams will decide the eventual winner of a tie.
Santoro to be player-coach for Indian Aces
Meanwhile, the IPTL has announced Fabrice Santoro and Treat Huey as the player-coaches for the Indian Aces and Manila Mavericks. Josh Eagle and John Laffnie De Jager will be the coaches for Singapore Slammers and UAE Royals respectively.
