Qatar Airways has announced its three-year sponsorship as ‘Presenting Partner’ of International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), the first city-based professional tennis league in the world, played with teams in four Asian cities: Dubai, Manila, New Delhi and Singapore. For this year’s season, the league sees the addition of the city of Kobe as the fifth city.
Akbar Al Baker, group chief executive, Qatar Airways, said, “It gives us immense pleasure to announce our three-year partnership with the International Premier Tennis League. The overwhelming response that the league received last season showcases the interest of Asian tennis fans in the region and the success of this format and the partnership with IPTL reinforces our commitment to be associated with large-scale sports events and sports legends.”
IPTL founder, Mahesh Bhupathi, said, “Qatar Airways has an enviable portfolio of global sports events. We are delighted to have them back on board as our presenting sponsor for three years. They are an award-winning international airline with a clear vision and commitment to sports. We look forward to making this association beneficial to their customers and partners.”
The star-studded league is scheduled to take place between December 2-20, 2015, and tennis lovers across the world will be able to witness their favourite Grand Slam champions and top-ranked tennis stars from the past and present battle it out in a unique league format.
This upcoming season will see the return of tennis superstars like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, while also featuring some new stalwarts in Rafael Nadal and Leander Paes.
The league will kickstart in the city of Kobe on December 2, 2015 and the grand finale will be witnessed by fans in Singapore on December 20, 2015. The five teams – Indian Aces, Japan Warriors, Philippine Mavericks, Singapore Slammers, and UAE Royals – will lock horns with each other in a battle to win the IPTL Champions title along with the prize money of US$ 1.5 million.