Cash crunch rules out Federer, Serena from IPTL

New Delhi, December 6 

The current cash crunch in the country, following the November 8 demonetisation, has led to multiple Grand Slam champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams pulling out of this season’s International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), the organisers announced on Tuesday.

Both Federer and Serena were scheduled to play the final leg of the $100,000 tournament in Hyderabad from December 9 to 11. The Swiss star was to play for Indian Aces while Williams was signed by Singapore Slammers.

“We are sad to announce that Roger Federer and Serena Williams won’t participate at this year’s IPTL,” Mahesh Bhupathi, founder and managing director of IPTL, said in a statement. “With the current economic climate in India and the uncertainty of spending money, I reached out to both Roger and Serena to explain the situation. They have been very supportive of IPTL the first two seasons and we look forward to bring them in future years.” 

IPTL could have been Federer’s comeback tournament ahead of the Australian Open early next year. He has been out since July following a knee surgery.

Williams, on the other hand, last played at the US Open in September, following which she has stayed away from the circuit with a shoulder injury. She was scheduled to appear in the Singapore leg starting on Tuesday. The third season of IPTL has already started with the Tokyo leg already completed (December 2 to 4), while the Singapore leg started today. The third leg will be hosted in Hyderabad from December 9 to 11.

The season will witness a total of 17 matches, with each of the four teams playing eight matches in a customised round-robin format. — IANS