Roger Federer of Switzerland holds the winners trophy after defeating Andy Murray of Britain (L) in their men's singles final tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London July 8, 2012.
Roger Federer of Switzerland holds the winners trophy after defeating Andy Murray of Britain (L) in their men's singles final tennis match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London July 8, 2012. REUTERS

This is like taking out Michael Jordan for LeBron James in basketball parlance. Roger Federer, tennis' sure-fire Hall of Famer, has agreed to replace injured Rafael Nadal in the inaugural tournament of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).

Less than 24 hours after the organizers of the event has confirmed via Twitter that Nadal will be out of the tournament, IPTL has swooped in for a major recovery in signing the 17-time Grand Slam champion. Federer was initially hesitant to participate in the event being quoted way back as saying that he is planning to use to offseason to rest his weary body and prepare for the Grand Slam events in 2015, with January kicking off the Australian Open.

"I think it's interesting, but nothing changes as a player has to decide how often he wants to play, how many matches he wants to play," The 33-year-old Swiss player said in March when asked about being included in the line-up of tennis superstars.

According to BBC.com, a British news company, he joins other superstars such as Ana Ivanovic, Sania Mirza, Gael Monfils and seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras in the Indian Aces team. The tennis star will join the squad in the four-country event that kicks off in India on Nov 28. Other legs of the tournament include Singapore, United Arab Emirates and the Philippines. Federer also expressed his excitement in meeting his fans in India and possibly playing alongside seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras:

India, here I come! Looking forward to playing two matches in Delhi on December 7th & 8th. I'm beyond excited!

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 22, 2014

Federer will be stepping into relatively big shoes as Nadal is a fan favourite and has long been anticipated to return after his absence in the U.S. Open, The Spaniard is recuperating from an assortment of injuries most recently a wrist ailment he sustained during practice.

Federer is latest star that initially declined to participate, but has changed his stance on his entry. Maria Sharapova was on the same boat in the early part of the year but the former number one has already agreed to join the team. The prize pool for the whole tournament is currently set at almost $30 million, all the more motivation for the tennis big names to swing their rackets in the tourney.