Since its inception in 2014, the International Premier Tennis League has come to hold a unique pride of place. In its first two years, the IPTL attracted the biggest tennis-playing names, who wanted to satiate their personal curiosity about the newer playing format along with a genuine interest in being a part of an event that brought tennis to geographic zones far removed from its routine calendar.
Two years on, the IPTL is definitively back for its third edition. But it does not seem to be the same event as before, with the adaptations it has had to make to extend its continuity looking much prominent than the sheen of its singularity.
The political disquiet in Philippines has seen the team – the Philippine Mavericks – and the host city, Manila, being dropped off from the roster. The discrepancy between the number of participating teams and the venues where the tournament has also not been addressed yet.
The impact of demonetisation
These facets that have led to such a pall of gloom being cast over the event’s scheduling this year are however, generic in nature, applying to the League in its entirety. From the Indian perspective, the event’s timetable has had to bear the brunt of the after-effects of demonetisation that was announced by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on November 8.
As it presently stands, the chaos surrounding the implementation of demonetisation are still being felt by the public. There is a new rule that is brought into effect almost every other day as a way of minimising the common man’s sufferance, only for it to create more confusion and pandemonium.
In the ensuing days, leading up to the IPTL, any further updates and revisits to RBI rules and regulations pertaining to withdrawals could lead to additional convolutions. Amid these probabilities, the IPTL has a tough task of generating earnestness among the fans to come and attend the event, regardless of the elaborations arising out of demonetisation.
Varied reasons, tied into a common knot
Steep ticket prices cloud the prospect of fans’ gathering right at the outset. The cheapest ticket will cost a tennis enthusiast, Rs. 6,000 per day. Alternatively, a fan can invest Rs. 15,000 as a season ticket for all three days, from 9 to 11 December. The costliest is priced at Rs. 35,000, with the season ticket costing Rs. 81,000 in this seating bracket. While payment for the purchase of tickets will have to be done by cards, in the currently prevailing turmoil it’s doubtful if the keenest fan will be amenable to spend so extensively.
The aspect of fans having to incur other incidental expenditures also has to be considered, as a supplement to the ticket costs. One of which would be spending on local commute, to and from the venue, which would need to be done with cash. Given that several ATMs have remained shut because of shortage of cash, the uncertainty about having – and managing – with enough sum to tide over, also adds to the existing monetary concerns.
A comparison can then be drawn with the last year’s IPTL Indian leg, where quite a few seats ran empty, despite no such pressing worries, in New Delhi. In the post-event press conference, when asked about the reasons for the same, Mahesh Bhupathi specifically noted that the absence of crowd was because the tournament was played in India on weekdays – on Thursday, Friday and Saturday – instead of the weekend. “There are always challenges when you play on weekdays. I think, last year (in 2014), the Indian franchise played on the weekend – on Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” he mentioned.
Bhupathi also went on to state, “We all knew that this was the match that was going to draw out the crowd” referring to the match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal that brought an end to the IPTL fiesta in India, before succinctly concluding, “Weekdays are tough across the world. But, when you bring 13,000-plus fans to a tennis match, it’s always successful.”
How significant will the scheduling changes be?
For this year, the event has reverted back to its 2014 scheduling with the matches to be held from Friday to Sunday in a new venue. Thus, had the currency not been demonetised, it would have made for a good study to evaluate if patrons were eager to follow the event as it travelled.
Coupled with the element of demonetisation is then the dearth of star-studded tennis attractions participating in the tournament this time. In 2015, over 13,000 people were gathered in the stands in 2015 to watch Federer and Nadal write a different chapter to their existing rivalry. Now, with only Federer committing himself to the tournament, irrespective of his stature, there’s bound to be a sliding effect in the number of spectators attending the IPTL this year.
And, though Federer’s ideally expected to play on all three days of the Indian leg, his – and the team’s – playing on Sunday, in the final, will depend on how the Aces perform throughout the eight previous days and the two previous editions. The Aces have had a successful record in their last two outings, having won the League in 2014 and finishing as the runner-up in 2015. However, like the unexpectedly truncated aspirations of the tournament this year, the fortune of the team could also change.
Not even Roger Federer, with all his perfect style of play, will be of much help if such an eventuality were to happen. Neither to the team, nor to the chances of ensuring good monetary outpourings towards the tournament.
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