‘IPTL is serious tennis with fun aspect’

‘Before you die, do watch Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal match’, read a placard during the International Premier Tennis League’s marquee match between the two biggest stars in the world of tennis, here on Saturday night.

They played only a set but gave enough reasons to close to 13,000 spectators to take home memories of a lifetime. UAE Royals’ Federer lost to Nadal of the Indian Aces but the 17-time Grand Slam winner had no complaints about it.

“I had a slow start and Rafa already played a match here. The season’s just beginning, so I am bound to be a bit rusty. Considering those circumstances, I played pretty well. Overall it was a great experience,” said Federer after the match.

Federer will now play in the Dubai leg of the tournament on December 15 and 16, followed by Singapore on 18.

Nadal was happy the way he played and said “no matter which part of the world they were playing, they were always competitive”.

“We tried our best, we played with our heart and we played our best tennis that we had today. We cannot say we are playing under pressure here, we have fans. I am really excited about the week I had in the IPTL and I cannot wait to come back next year,” said Nadal.

“I’m happy to play here against Roger and the crowd gave us a lot of love. I played here one day before, so in a sense I had an advantage, but playing Roger is always exciting,” he added.

In the inaugural edition, Federer had hinted that the IPTL was equivalent to an exhibition tennis event but this time, he came in the support of the format saying “it’s serious tennis”.

“What is an exhibition Is it a kids’ day exhibition where one’s hitting with Scooby Doo or is it one where 15,000 people have paid to watch us play It is the question of who is in the crowd.

“To me this is serious tennis with a fun aspect of having a team high five you continuously. Call it an exhibition or not, it’s a fun concept. The legends deserve a shout out as well they are playing at such a good level even now.”

Federer though was not sure of coming to India for the third edition of the event, adding that he would love to come to the country for a holiday.

“I am not sure (about that) yet but I have loved it so far and that’s why I came here this year. But I have to see (about next year), it’s a busy year. I need to see how the first quarter of the year goes and then we will have conversations as we go along. I still have to speak to a lot of people before I make that decision and that includes my wife,” he said.

“I have got a busy life you know. I have young kids and I don’t know how much they love to travel when it slows down, when we don’t have the tournaments. That is my block right now as far as travelling to India is concerned because travelling to India can’t be like a weekend trip. So I would like to take my time when I come here for a vacation,” he added.

Federer, a father of four, is now looking forward to spending time with his kids (twins daughters and twins sons) and wife on Christmas and New Year before getting ready for the new season in January.

“After the IPTL, I will enjoy Christmas with my family and then travel to Brisbane at the beginning of the year.”