Spain’s Rafael Nadal. Associated Press
The King of Clay is coming to town.
International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) project head Clementine Apacible announced Tuesday that nine-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal will play in this year’s Manila leg, amping up the excitement for the December event.
“I’m very happy and excited for this year’s tennis All-Stars. We have five teams this year, which means more international players,” she said.
READ: Mavericks fielding stronger team for 2015 IPTL
Nadal will be carrying the Indian Aces in the five-team international tennis showcase.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams, who is gunning for a sweep of all four Grand Slam events in 2015, will be bannering the Philippine Mavericks.
Williams will be joined by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet, Mark Philippoussis, Sabine Lisicki, Jarmila Gajdosova, Borna Coric, and playing-coach Treat Huey in the Mavericks squad.
READ: IPTL kickoff leg gives Philippine tennis smash hit
“Imagine the impact last year’s event had to the kids. Aside from playing in the MOA Arena, we had side events which was very valuable in the staging of the event,” said national team coach Roland Kraut.
The winning team of the five-leg tournament will take home $1-million prize pot.
READ: Serena thanks ‘amazing’ crowd’ in Manila IPTL
Tickets for the event slated from December 6 to 8 are already available, with a 15 % discount for those purchasing until August.
Prices for the three-day pass are as follows: P49,000 for the VIP, P40,000 for patron seats, P23,000 for lower box, P11,600 for upper box, and P2,700 for general admission. CFC