TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rafael Nadal has confirmed his participation to the controversial new tournament called the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). As reported by The Daily Telegraph, the world No. 1 Nadal is understood to be the highest-profile player committed to tournament that was developed by Indian double player Mahesh Bhupathi and is believed to earn one million US dollar or around Rp12 billion a night for his contribution as one of the "marquee" players.
According to the ground rules of the tournament, players who have been No 1 or who have won a slam will be able to nominate which matches they play, and to avoid. The matches will be over the best of five sets, with each set to be played in a different format - men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles and men's legends. The competition will be staged between Nov 28 and Dec 20 in five cities - Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai, Singapore and Hong Kong. Skepticism is expected on anything that promises so much money.
Other elite names such as Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Thomas Berdych have also joined the competition while Roger Federer has yet to decide whether he would be joining although he expressed his interest. Top female stars Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka too have signaled their intentions to participate in this event.
In 2014, Nadal already had earnings of approximately over US$66 million and he could gallop past the currently-leading Federer if the IPTL figures are correct and recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
SKY SPORTS | ESPN | AGUS BAHARUDIN
