look news india
Mumbai, September 12 (HS). Former world number 1 Rohan Bopanna will take part in the much-awaited sixth edition of the Tennis Premier League (TPL) starting in December.
This will be Bopanna's first appearance in the tournament. TPL has completed 5 highly successful seasons, and now season 6 is also ready to be presented to the audience.
The 44-year-old Bopanna, who has won two Grand Slam titles (the 2024 Australian Open in men's doubles and the 2017 French Open in mixed doubles), has also represented India in three Olympics, finishing a best of fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The top Indian tennis player hailing from Bengaluru also holds the record of being the oldest player to become World No. 1 when he achieved the feat in late January earlier this year. He has won over 25 titles in his career and is only the fourth Indian tennis player to top the tennis rankings after Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza. All four are the only Indian Grand Slam winners who are also supporting the league.
After being a part of the ATP Tour for close to two decades, Bopanna will now adopt a new style of tennis in the TPL. All franchises will play a total of 5 matches to qualify for the semi-finals as the 25-point format of the league captures the imagination of tennis fans. All matches between two franchises will include men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles and men's doubles. Each match between two franchises will have 100 points at stake, where each category will be worth 25 points. Each team will play for a total of 500 points (100 points x 5 matches) in the league stage and the top 4 teams in the points table will qualify for the semi-finals.
Bopanna will join the likes of Sumit Nagal, France's Hugo Gaston and Armenian Elina Avanesyan who will be competing for the top prize at India's prestigious cricket club.
Rohan Bopanna said, “I am thrilled to be a part of the Tennis Premier League, especially with its innovative 25-point format. It is a perfect way to end the year. I believe that tournaments like the TPL, which are actively contributing to grassroots development, will inspire more young players.”
Speaking on the occasion, Kunal Thakkar, Co-Founder, Tennis Premier League said, “It is fantastic to have Rohan Bopanna join us. His credentials and capabilities are something we don’t need to discuss for obvious reasons, and we are confident that his presence will not only boost the sixth season of TPL but also inspire other players, especially when there is a former World No. 1 on the court.”
Mrinal Jain, Co-Founder of Tennis Premier League said, “Rohan Bopanna is one of the icons of Indian tennis, and we are very happy to see him playing in the TPL in Season 6. This is going to create a stir not only in Mumbai but in the tennis world as well. We are looking forward to some great games of tennis with Rohan and the rest of the players.”