New Delhi
Reigning Wimbledon doubles champion Matthew Ebden of Australia will be the marquee player for the fourth Tennis Premier League (TPL), to be played at the Balewadi Stadium, Pune, from December 7 to 11.
‘’It has been a standout year of my career and at this time, I am delighted to be joining the TPL family to help extend this riveting form and grow its awareness internationally,” said the 34-year-old Ebden, who was the doubles runner-up at the Australian Open this year.
“I have always had a special connection with India, and shared great relations with the Indian players on tour. I have huge appreciation for the passion Indians have for tennis and I have fond memories of Pune’’, said Ebden, who had partnered multiple Grand Slam champion Leander Paes on the Tour in 2020, and had also won a title with Divij Sharan.
As part of the grassroots programme, the league will also have talent scouting events in October in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. There will be eight teams which will play on a league-cum-knock-out basis in a unique scoring format. Each tie will have men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles.
‘’I am excited about the talent that is coming to the league this season,” said Leander Paes.
Sunder Iyer, secretary, Maharashtra Tennis Association, expressed happiness and excitement about the league being packaged in a ‘’highly entertaining format for fans”.
