Sports
Djokovic pulls out of IPTL; Murray, Wawrinka join Singapore Slammers
Kobe (Japan): World No.1 Novak Djokovic has pleaded fatigue for his decision not to compete in the second edition of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) starting here on Wednesday and his franchise Singapore Slammers announced that Britain’s Andy Murray and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka will join them.
Djokovic, the 11-time Major singles champion, played for the United Arab Emirates Royals in the inaugural edition, and the Serb was drafted by the Singapore Slammers for the second edition of the five-city league.
“I had a great experience in the inaugural edition of the IPTL and was eagerly looking forward to playing in the second season, especially in front of the home crowd in Singapore,” Djokovic said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It’s been a long year for me and my body needs some extra time to recover. I wish the team the very best and will join them next year.”
Both Murray and Wawrinka, both two-time Major winners, will be playing for Slammers, along with Nick Kyrgios, Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova, Dustin Brown, Carlos Moya and Marcelo Melo.
Murray was part of the Manila Mavericks (re-christened ‘Philippine Mavericks’ in edition two) in the inaugural edition.
“We are glad to announce the return of Andy Murray and the debut of Stan Wawrinka in the IPTL. Both Murray and Wawrinka will add immense strength to the Slammers, upping the quality of tennis on display. Fans across the world can look forward to some exciting match-ups,” IPTL founder Mahesh Bhupathi said.
They join a formidable array of tennis superstars that include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios among others.
Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, Kristina Mladenovic, Sania Mirza are just some of the names leading the women’s charge in the league.
On Wednesday, Royals face Slammers in the opener, while defending champions Indian Aces take on hosts Japanese Warriors.
The left-handed batsman from Haryana is garnering praise from all quarters for the way he’s finishing games regularly in the most exciting IPL season.
Gavaskar reckons Tewatia’s whirlwind knock in Sharjah (in IPL 2020) where he smashed West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell for five sixes in an over, gave him the confidence that he belongs to the big stage.
Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Gavaskar said, “That assault on Sheldon Cottrell in Sharjah gave him the belief to do the impossible and the confidence that he belongs here. We saw the impossible (he did with the bat) the other day as well. There’s no twitching or touching the pads (which shows a batter’s nervousness) when he bats in the death overs. He just waits for the ball to be delivered and plays his shots. He’s got all the shots in the book, but most importantly his temperament to stay cool in a crisis is brilliant.”
Gavaskar has also nicknamed the 28-year-old cricketer the ‘ice-man’ and lauded Tewatia’s ability to remain unruffled during the tense moments.
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