IPTL: Roger Federer confirms attendance in the Singapore leg of the team tennis event

Roger Federer has confirmed his participation in the Singapore leg of the International Premier Tennis League, or IPTL, from Dec. 18 to Dec. 20. The Swiss maestro heads the UAE Royals for the second season of the team tennis event.

The 17-time grand slam champion said that he is excited to play in Singapore as it will be the first time that Federer plays a match in the said Asian nation, the Strait Times reports. Federer first visited Singapore when he was invited by one of the world’s leading financial services company, Credit Suisse, in 2013. The 34-year-old has been a global ambassador of Credit Suisse for six years now.

“I love playing in countries where I have never played before,” Federer said. “That is something that is always special to me, I know Singapore has embraced tennis in the past few years so going there to play is very exciting.”

Federer added that the experience is going to be a memorable one because it will give him an opportunity to provide an enjoyable time to his fans. He will be joined by other tennis stars such as retired athlete Goran Ivanisevic, who is the current coach of Marin Cilic, men’s doubles specialist Daniel Nestor, and fellow Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP, star Tomas Berdych, alongside World Tennis Association, or WTA, stars Ana Ivanovic and Kristina Mladenovic, in the UAE Royals team.

Federer led the Indian Aces in the inaugural IPTL event last year. He replaced Rafael Nadal, who had to pull out after the Spanish tennis star was sidelined in the latter part of 2014 season due to a string of injuries. This season, there has been a reshuffle in the original four teams, with an addition of a fifth one.

Below are the players featured in five IPTL teams:

Japan Warriors: Kei Nishikori, Maria Sharapova, Daniela Hantuchova, Marat Safin, Kurumi Nara, Lucas Pouille, and Vasek Pospisil.

Philippine Mavericks: Serena Williams, Jarmila Gajdosova, Mark Philippousis, Borna Coric, Richard Gasquet, Sabine Lisicki, and Treat Huey.

Indian Aces: Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils, Agnieszka Radwanska, Fabrice Santoro, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza, and Ivan Dodig.

Singapore Slammers: Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios, Marcelo Melo, Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova, and Carlos Moya.

UAE Royals: Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, Goran Ivanisevic, Ana Ivanovic, Daniel Nestor, and Kristina Mladenovic.

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