Rohan Bopanna to make Tennis Premier League debut

Australian Open champion and decorated doubles player Rohan Bopanna will make his debut in the Tennis Premier League (TPL) this season, which will be held here in December.

The 44-year-old Indian, the world number six in doubles, had won the men's doubles title in the season-opening Grand Slam at Melbourne in the company of Matthew Ebden.

“I'm thrilled to become a part of the Tennis Premier League, especially with its innovative 25-point format. It's a perfect way to wrap up the year,” said Bopanna, a former world No. 1 in doubles.

Bopanna, who represented India in three Olympics, had also clinched the mixed doubles crown in the 2017 French Open along with Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada.

The Bengalurean, who holds the unique record of being the oldest player to reach the No.1 spot earlier this January, has also won more than 25 career titles and is only the fourth Indian tennis player after Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza to reach the top of the tennis rankings.

“It is fantastic to have onboard with us the very dynamic Rohan Bopanna. His credentials and abilities are something we don't need to touch upon,” said Kunal Thakkur, Co-Founder of the TPL ahead of its sixth season.

All matches between two franchises will comprise men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles and men's doubles.

There will be 100 points at stake in each match, where each category would be worth 25 points.

Each team will play a total of 500 points (100 points x 5 matches) at the league stage and the top 4 teams in the points table to qualify for the semifinals.