Injury forces Eugenie Bouchard to withdraw from International Premier Tennis League
Dubai, 27 November 2014: Current World No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard who was representing the UAE ‘Royals’ in the inaugural Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) presented by Qatar Airways, has been forced to withdraw from the League due to an injury she sustained in training on Monday. Talented French tennis star Kristina Mladenovic will take Bouchard’s place and play for the UAE Royals in the upcoming professional team tennis competition.
Speaking about her exit, Eugenie Bouchard said, “I'm really disappointed I will be unable to compete in the IPTL this year due to an injury that I recently suffered in practice. I was excited to be part of the first year and represent the team from Dubai. I wish all of the players the best of luck and I sincerely hope to be healthy and back part of the IPTL next year.”
Mahesh Bhupathi on behalf of the IPTL said, “Genie’s exit from the IPTL is disappointing news, but we’re glad that Kristina was readily available to take her place. We wish Genie a quick recovery. We look forward to her joining us in season two.”
The UAE Royals are all set for the three-day extravaganza that will see them playing their first ever IPTL match in Dubai against the Manila Mavericks in the inaugural edition of the professional team tennis competition that features the best current and past champions across 4 countries.
The UAE Royals boast of top players in a lineup that includes World Number 1 Novak Djokovic, World No.9 Marin Cilic, former World Number 1 Caroline Wozniacki, the legendary Goran Ivanisevic, who is also Cilic’s coach, doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic, and the Number 1 Arab player in the world, Malek Jaziri.
The ‘Royals’ will represent the UAE in 24 matches across the Philippines, India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates between 28 November and 13 December 2014.
About International Premier Tennis League
The International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) is a unique team-based tennis league founded by multiple grand-slam winner, India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and played across 4 countries in Asia. The league will feature 21 Grand Slam Champions and 14 current/former World Number Ones, with the winning team walking away with prize money of USD 1 million. The inaugural edition will be held in the cities of Manila, Singapore, New Delhi and Dubai between 28th November and 13th December 2014.
The IPTL promises to ‘Break the Code’ of the game’s traditional etiquette in order to attract a new audience to the sport. Modeled after successful international sports franchise concepts and being recognized as tennis’ newest spectacle, the IPTL combines world-class sport and entertainment in a format that keeps both spectators and global TV viewers thoroughly engaged.