Basil
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Unbelievable: Rafael Nadal to earn $1mn a night at ITPL!
New Delhi: World number one Rafael Nadal is set to get richer, and insanely so. Mahesh Bhupati’s brainchild International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), set for a formal launch on Friday at The Oberoi in Dubai on Friday, may end up paying a hefty $1 million a night.
Five teams — based in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur — will have to allocate up to $10 million for the players' salaries. In addition, they will have to shell out $12 million for a 10-year term.
Top women's players, including World No. 4 Victoria Azarenka, are also believed to have confirmed their participation. Andy Murray (who’s participation is still dicey), chief executive Morgan Menahem (Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's manager), Justin Gimelstob (a players' representative on the ATP board), Boris Becker (tennis legend and, now, Novak Djokovic's coach) and press spokesman Benito Perez-Barbadillo (who works with Nadal) are the ones working behind the scenes.
There will be eight matches between the five teams, played on a home-and-away basis. Each match is intended to consist of five separate sets, contested in men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles, and legends' singles. So if it's 2-2, then the yesteryear stars will play the decider. Sets are to be shorter than usual. There will be no 'Advantage' scoring; in other words, the first point after deuce will decide the game. The tie-break will be contested at 5-5.
Several other top players like Stanislas Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki have reportedly signed up for the event. Roger Federer has apparently not shown interest in the league. Bhupathi is still keen on having Djokovic and Murray on board.
According to the ground rules, 'marquee' players (those who have been No.1 or won Grand Slams) are entitled to pick and choose their appearances, while others are in it for the three-week duration.
The format includes eight matches between five city-based teams, played home and away, running over three weeks from the end of November to late December. Each match is intended to consist of five separate sets, contested in men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles and legends' singles. Sets are to be shorter than usual: no-ad scoring (in which the first point after deuce decides each game) and a tie-break at 5-5