The Professional Tennis League (PTL) is all set to return for the fourth season, beginning December 1 in New Delhi, and it’s getting larger. As many as 64 tennis gamers might be a part of the occasion, which incorporates top-ranked stars throughout the nation in ATP and WTA circuits, junior gamers together with former professionals. However what has already made followers discuss PTL 4 is the involvement of Matthew Ebden, the 2022 Wimbledon doubles champion.
In an unique interview with Hindustan Occasions forward of the event, Aditya Khanna, the co-founder of the PTL, talked concerning the impending season, what the long run holds for PTL and the participation of Ebden.
Listed here are excerpts…
Q) Inform me about your ideas on the Professional Tennis League?
The thought behind Professional Tennis League began 5 years again. There was no league at that time which existed just for Indian tennis gamers. And tennis leagues which up to now like IPTL and CTL had many many worldwide gamers they usually have been of a unique scale. So I felt at that time of time that there was a spot between the Indian gamers additionally, who have been top-ranked singles and doubles gamers, within the junior degree, ex-professional gamers…I assumed there must be some format the place you might create and get all these gamers collectively in a single single format. As a result of I personally performed within the ITF senior circuit as properly. And I seen that there was no occasion that occurred collectively for all these gamers. It is a person sport and everybody performs in several elements of the nation or the world however this one occasion can carry all these gamers collectively and I felt it will be an incredible idea. And right here we’re 4 years down the road with 64 gamers, which incorporates gamers from all age teams with the children of them being somebody who’s simply 16 years previous, after which there’s somebody who’s above 50. That’s how it began within the preliminary stage.
Q) 2018 was whenever you began this. That decade noticed few different league-style tennis occasions developing in India. The IPLT being essentially the most well-known of them. However all ceased to exist after just a few years. What’s one thing totally different that you just intention to realize by PTL?
I simply needed to do one thing for the Indian gamers and most of them, I do know them personally and they’re all actually good gamers. They felt they wanted a platform to be showcased as properly and I really feel PTL is a good platform in that means the place the Indian viewers, the Delhi viewers know that these gamers are enjoying and see some good high quality of tennis and gamers getting collectively on the highest degree.
Q) This would be the fourth season of the PTL. How have issues been by way of the league over the 4 seasons, concerning the recognition of it each amongst followers and gamers?
The primary season was good. The second season was much more standard. Within the third season, due to the pandemic, we could not get that many audiences. However this season would be the greatest season ever. We’ve the utmost variety of gamers, 64 gamers throughout all of the groups. We even have all the highest gamers coming this time, Matthew Ebden is amongst them, who gained the 2022 Wimbledon (doubles). So issues have modified. The gravity of the occasion has change into a lot larger this time. We’re additionally in contact with plenty of tennis academies, golf equipment and establishments. We’re doing plenty of social-media publicity and advertising and marketing to make sure that we now have reached the utmost viewers. Tennis is standard within the nation and within the metropolis as properly. We simply had the Davis Cup in March this yr and it had a packed viewers when India was enjoying Denmark. So that’s the entire thought round it, that you do not watch a tennis match, you even have high quality time along with your family and friends. We additionally sort of modified the format of the occasion as properly. We created a factors construction. In complete there might be 9 matches in a tie and each match is starting from 15 to 30 factors. Two groups with essentially the most factors on the finish of the group stage will head to the semis. Equally, the semis and the ultimate might be selected the variety of factors collected and never the matches gained. Lots of improvements have been executed, It has change into standard amongst followers and this yr we had plenty of gamers reaching out to us to play within the PTL. Prior to now, we did not have that. It simply exhibits the thrill amongst individuals.
Q) What have been a number of the challenges you will have come throughout?
Challenges have been after all there however fortunately the gamers have been very supportive to the league as properly. It is all the time a problem to get issues so as, from gamers to crew homeowners to getting audiences and sponsors. There’s a problem on each entrance, however individuals who have supported the league by way of the gamers and the crew homeowners have all been phenomenal for us. That’s the reason we’re in season 4. Seven out of the eight crew homeowners are again with us from final season which is an enormous assist for us and helps us kind of do that league.
Q) How do you assume {that a} league like PTL can profit India tennis, it is improvement?
It helps the ecosystem of the game. I really feel a league like this may encourage extra individuals to observe the game, and play the game. Additionally for the junior gamers, once they see there is a chance to play in a league sooner or later, they get attracted after which they get seen by potential sponsors. Plus each crew has two mentors and training workers concerned and therefore it provides to the ecosystem of the game.
Q) You talked about earlier that gamers have been reaching out to you. So how are they chosen as a part of the league?
We take a look at the rating of the gamers – the ATP, WTA, ITF junior rankings – we additionally conduct a ‘Street to PTL’ occasion the place younger gamers – who’re beneath the age of 25 for males and 21 for girls – can take part and get chosen. Ee carried out one in Delhi and one in Bangalore. A lot of the gamers in PTL are the top-ranked gamers themselves.
Q) So inform us the story of Matthew Ebden in PTL 4
He has been to India earlier than. And he’s an enormous identify on the planet of tennis. And we needed so as to add some extra worldwide angles to the occasion as properly. Including Ebden to the occasion, a Wimbledon champion would make the league much more standard. I’ve identified him earlier than. So I reached out to him to change into part of the league and felt that getting him concerned within the league would add rather more worth to the league as properly and entice increasingly more individuals. It makes it a extra healthful league as properly.
He would be the first worldwide males’s participant on the occasion. There have been two worldwide ladies’s gamers up to now as properly however not of this degree.
Q) Will you even be a part of the occasion as a participant?
Sure. I might be taking part as a participant within the ex-pro class for the Delhi Crusaders.
Once I’m on the courtroom, I might be giving my 100 per cent as a participant for the crew at that second. That’s how I am naturally constructed. So far as PTL is anxious, I’ve an incredible crew of individuals working with me, we now have an incredible assist workers as properly. We’ve top-of-the-line individuals, umpires, referees and a correct managing construction which goes to be managing together with me.
Q) What do you see as the way forward for PTL?
We wish to make it even bigger, get increasingly more Indian gamers concerned on this, extra worldwide gamers and have extra groups as properly. We additionally wish to take to smaller cities, have a regional set-up and have smaller PTLs as properly in districts the place winners may get chosen into the principle PTL. That’s how we see it. We do need a international presence, however the focus is and can stay on getting increasingly more Indian gamers in order that they get extra visibility.