IPTL will help bolster Indian Tennis, claims Sania Mirza

New Delhi: International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) will help in the overall development of the game in India, the country’s top female player Sania Mirza has claimed.

“The quality of players in IPTL is tremendous. It will do a lot in the development of Indian tennis. I hope it inspires a lot of kids to play tennis,” she said at a press conference held to launch the Indian leg of the franchisee-based tournament here. A part of the table-topping Indian Aces franchise along with compatriot Rohan Bopanna, Sania said that the country haven’t seen such an accumulation of stalwarts live in action in the country before and IPTL provides that opportunity for the first time.

“Such stars have not played in India before. It gives an opportunity for the younger kids to come out and watch all these great players live. It is a big difference watching these players on TV and live. I hope this inspires a lot of kids. The game of tennis has moved up a lot in India over the last 10 years and hope IPTL helps in its improvement,” she said.

Doubles specialist Bopanna also echoed her sentiments expressing confidence that the inaugural tournament will help enthuse a passion for tennis into kids.

“Doubles isn’t shown much on TV in India. Now through IPTL we are shown live and young kids can seek inspiration from watching these stars and pick up the sport,” he said. The first day of action here sees the Aces take on Manila Mavericks while the United Arab Emirates Royals go head-to-head against bottom-placed Singapore Slammers.