The organisers of the Champions Tennis League (CTL) today emphasised that the upcoming leagues should not be construed as glorified exhibitions and these initiatives may actually turn out to be the way forward for the sport.
ATP Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode had recently, at Shanghai Masters, termed Mahesh Bhupathi's IPTL a series of 'glorified exhibitions'.
Nothing was said of CTL, which is a joint initiative of legendary Vijay Amritraj and All India Tennis Association (AITA), but AITA chief Anil Khanna said he does not agree with Kermode.
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"It's serious tennis. I don't believe in what Kermode said. IPTL and CTL have distinguished players and they will represent teams. It's wishful thinking on part of ATP. When players like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer will play, I don't think they will cheat fans (by not playing with intensity)," Khanna, who is also President of the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF) told a select group of journalists.
"This is also one way of showcasing tennis and I am sure the governing bodies (ATP, WTA) will be closely watching," Khanna said adding that ATP 250 tournaments were losing charm and have actually become loss-making propositions.
Amritraj, flanked by Khanna, said CTL was a "great alternative" to watch top tennis stars in action in six Indian cities.
"It's a strong field and never ever such initiative has been there. Players such as Caroline Wozniacki (World No.8) will travel to India for the first time and the tennis fans have a chance to see them in action and in person," the 60-year-old said.
Adding to that, Khanna said "these leagues could be the way forward for many nations such as Thailand, which has lost Thailand Open, in future.
