5 Things Roger Federer Should Do While In India
The International Tennis Premier League (IPTL) which is the brain-child of Mahesh Bhupati and is stepping into it’s third year of inception this year, starting tomorrow. The League is usually played out in the major Asian cities.
Modeled after the Indian Premier League (IPL), the IPTL too has been successful in gathering a mass following especially with the turn out of top-seed players in the tournaments. Contested this year by four teams namely- Indian Aces, Japan Warriors, Singapore Slammers and UAE Royals which unfailingly have a stellar team composition. This year, IPTL is going to be a lot more special – World No. 1s Roger Federer and Serena Williams will return!
Absence does make the heart fonder and the Swiss great’s absence from the year-ending Slam and other tournaments has left many a FedEx fan miserable. Having taken an early retirement from the tour this season owing to a knee-surgery, the man with the brown curls and the inarguably best forehand is going to be back in the Court this December!
Indian fans have all the more reason to celebrate as Hyderabad will deck up to host the Indian leg of the tournament from the 9th to the 12th of December. The other places where the tournament will be played are Singapore and Tokyo, Japan. So it is well expected of Roger Federer to be back in the country and here are a list of things we suggest he must do during his short stay in Hyderabad.
1. Try The Biriyani
Alright, alright, it’s no secret that Hyderabad has long been known for it’s Hyderabadi Biriyani.
In fact, the Biriyani ( a rice dish with goat or chicken meat ) traces it’s very orginis to the Nizams of Hyderabad. Hyderabadi biryani originated as a blend of Mughlai and Iranian cuisine in the kitchens of the Nizam, rulers of the historic Hyderabad State.
Hyderabadi Biryani is also a staple part of Pakistani Cuisine due to its exotic flavor and aromatic taste. Might not to be go-to thing for a player on a strict health regimen, but oh well, it does not harm to try out a delicacy so intricately carved with the place where he will be playing.
The other sought after dish in Hyderabad that he should try out is the haleem. Haleem is a stew composed of meat, lentils and pounded wheat made into a thick paste. It is originally an Arabic dish and was introduced to the city of Hyderabad by the Chaush people during the rule of the Nizams (the former rulers of Hyderabad State). Local traditional spices helped in evolving a unique Hyderabadi haleem that became popular among the native Hyderabadi Muslims by the 19th-century.
And it’s delicious.