‘When I was younger, I played football, enjoyed being in a squad’

Dubai: He recently won at Valencia in Vienna and now, the World No. 8 Andy Murray is all set to for the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) - an event that promises to reform the way the world looks at tennis and excel the popularity of the much-loved sport.

Murray said, “I like the format. Tennis is an individual sport and you don’t get to interact with others during your matches that much. When I was younger I used to play a lot of football, and I always enjoyed being part of a team, so being able to have that feeling of being part of a team again will be good.”

He will don the Manila Mavericks' jersey, IPTL’s Manila franchise, alongside icons such as Maria Sharapova, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Kirsten Flipkens, Daniel Nestor, Carlos Moya and top Philippines player Treat Huey.

“Playing in Manila will be fun. The fans there don’t get to see a lot of live tennis, so that will be good. With the season being so busy, it can be difficult to take a holiday so you don’t often get to travel anywhere different to the countries on the tour,” added the 27-year-old.

The league will have features like time-outs, power points, shoot outs, hawk-eye and live entertainment – much in line with the other sporting leagues which has caught mass attention.

“The IPTL format is something that has never been done before and there are many different aspects that make it interesting. The shot clock is a great idea and will speed play up and make tennis even more exciting for the fans with the shorter breaks between points. The fact that every game counts toward the team score is also a great idea, you’re not just playing for yourself, you have to think about your team mates as well and put them in as strong a position as possible at the end of your own set in the match,” said Murray.