Washington, Feb 28 (ANI): Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova and her Chinese counterpart Li Na have reportedly withdrawn from the fledgling International Premier Tennis League (ITPL) tournament that is set to make its debut in Asia this November.
Sharapova, who is often listed as the world's richest female athlete by Forbes, transcends tennis and has long been a magnet for sponsors while Li is one of the marquee names in Asia, having captured a second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.
According to CNN, Max Eisenbud, the agent of both Maria Sharapova and Li Na, expressed doubts over the tournament's workability said that neither of the two players would be appearing in the team tournament, although he added that it would be great for tennis if the tournament pulled off.
Modelled on the lines of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the tournament is the brainchild of Indian tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, who is hoping to secure the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, with Roger Federer opting out from the tournament.
The tournament sees five teams based in Mumbai, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and another city yet to be officially revealed play each other over a roughly three-week period.
Matches are contested over five sets but will employ no-ad scoring with one set to be played in each of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles and legends doubles, the report added. (ANI)
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