International Premier Tennis League 1st Leg Moves to Manila Due to Political Unrest in Bangkok; Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic & Serena Williams Confirm Attendance

Rafael Nadal is keen to move ahead in the quest for his ninth title in Barcelona. Reuters

Organisers of the International Premier Tennis League announced on Monday the change of venue for the 1^st leg of the sports event to Manila from Bangkok. The sudden change is due to the political instability in Thailand after the Constitutional Court removed from office on Wednesday Thai Prime Minister Yinluck Shinawatra for nepotism.

The tournament would be on Nov 28-30. The organisers picked the Philippines as the alternative venue due to the availability of world class indoor games venue that could hold up to 20,000 spectators. Moreover, there has been no professional games in the Philippines the past 20 years, disclosed IPTL founder Mahesh Bhupathi.

He explained, "We had to divert from the original franchise owner in Bangkok as the political unrest forced us to look for an alternative city to ensure the safety of all stakeholders."

Among the top-seeded tennis players who have confirmed their attendance are number 1 Rafa Nadal, number 2 Novak Djokovic and number 1 female player Serena Williams.

The team members who will represent Manila are Andy Murray of Britain, Jo Wilfried-Tsonga of France and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

The three other teams represent the franchise from Singapore. Dubai and Mumbai. The matches will have men's and women's singles, men's and mixed doubles and a men's legends singles with one set per match and no advantage scoring.

Reports said the venue would likely be either at the Mall of Asia or Smart Araneta Coliseum.