5 most exciting match-ups involving the UAE Royals players at the 2015 IPTL
With some of the biggest names from the tennis world in the draft, the much-anticipated second season of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) has quite a few enthralling matches lined up. The Mahesh Bhupathi-founded league, which will kick off next week, gives a unique opportunity to the countless tennis fans in Asia to get a taste of the biggest modern rivalries. Last year’s runners-up UAE Royals have one of the strongest squads in the league, with Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic, Ana Ivanovic, Kristina Mladenovic, Goran Ivanisevic and Daniel Nestor all raring to go. (For tickets to the UAE Royals matches, click here).But the players have some tough rivals to counter before they can come close to clinching the title. Here are some of the most exciting match-ups involving the UAE Royals players that will likely set the IPTL on fire:
#5 Goran Ivansevic vs Marat Safin
The 2015 IPTL landed a major coup by getting hold of former World No. 1 Marat Safin, who will turn up for the Japan Warriors. One of the hardest hitters of the ball off both wings, the mercurial Russian was famous for his on-court outbursts and his innumerable racquet smashes. Surely, the two-time Slam champion is one of the biggest attractions of this year’s IPTL.
When he squares off against UAE Royals’ own maverick Goran Ivanisevic in the legends’ match, sparks are sure to fly! It will be a dazzling display of Ivanisevic’s service bombs versus Safin’s pacy returns. With these two iconic players being tied at one win apiece in their head-to-head record, neither of them will carry a distinct edge into the match.
Theirs is an intriguing clash which is likely to happen twice over the course of the 2015 IPTL – at Kobe and at Dubai. Twice the drama, and surely double the fun?