“I already put my schedule [together] at the end of last year,” says Li Na. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
HONG KONG: Australian Open champion Li Na on Monday defended her decision to skip the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), as she targets more grand slams and the world number one spot.
The inaugural edition of the IPTL takes place later this year with matches in Bangkok, Mumbai, Singapore and Dubai geared to raise the profile of the game across Asia and the Middle East.
But the event has been dealt a blow by the absence of Asia’s top male and female players — Japan’s Kei Nishikori and second-ranked Li.
The current hottest property in women’s tennis appears to have no room in her tightly-packed calendar for November and December’s IPTL — the brainchild of Indian doubles star Mahesh Bhupathi.
“I already put my schedule [together] at the end of last year,” Li told a press conference in Hong Kong; where she was due to play an exhibition match against former US Open champion Samantha Stosur to mark World Tennis Day.
“When I was doing it I didn’t see any [IPTL] tournament... so that’s why I didn’t do [schedule] it.”
The league will take place during the off season in the tennis calendar, between November 27 and December 14, and will feature 24 matches across the four host cities.
Nadal to team-up with Sampras for Mumbai
World number one Rafa Nadal will team up with 14-times major champion Pete Sampras for Mumbai in the IPTL later this year, said tournament organisers on Sunday.
Serena Williams, the top-ranked women’s player, will headline the Singapore team alongside Tomas Berdych and Andre Agassi.
Four teams will compete in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and mixed doubles and men’s legends singles with one set per match, and no advantage scoring.
Serb Novak Djokovic and former women’s number one Caroline Wozniacki will lead Dubai while Britain’s Andy Murray, Frenchman Jo Wilfried-Tsonga and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus were picked by Bangkok when the teams were drafted on Sunday in Dubai.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2014.
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