Pro Tennis League Season 4 is T20 of tennis, says Zeeshan Ali

The tournament begins today at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium in Delhi.

The stage is set for yet another exciting season of Pro Tennis League as the fourth edition of the prestigious tournament is set to take place from December 1st to December 4th at the RK Khanna Tennis Stadium. A total of 64 top international and Indian players are participating in the league this time, who all will be divided into eight teams - Bangalore Challengers, DMG Delhi Crusaders, Gurgaon Sapphires, Jodhpur Sankara, Lucknow Aviators, Meerut Stag Babolat Yoddhas, Proveri Supersmashers, and Paramount Proec Tigers. 

Two Legs, Four Days

The Pro Tennis League will be played across two legs over a period of four days between December 1st to December 4th. Kicking off the tournament at a press conference on Thursday, Pro Tennis League Co-Founder Mr. Aditya Khanna said, "This is the biggest season we are ever going to have with 64 players participating in eight different teams. We have created a unique format, a quick format where eight players will be playing nine matches mix of men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles, mixed doubles and junior singles as well. So, it is going to be a point-based format where every point will count." 

He added, " The league stage the way it is going to function is that the team with the maximum number of points after the three ties goes to the semi-final and that’s how the order of the league will happen from the first position to the last position. We have players of different ages as well, we have all the men's pro players and the top women's pro players and some junior players in both boys and girls."  

"We have some ex-players as well participating in the tournament. We have the honour of having Zeeshan Ali back on the court after 20 years. So, this is going to be a great format which is going to be very exciting. It is a tennis festival where the whole Indian tennis gets together with all facets of the country. It’s a wholesome league as the men’s and women’s are playing together and it's truly an honour for me to host this tournament," concluded Mr. Aditya Khanna. 

Ex-Indian tennis star Zeeshan Ali remarked, "I think the format of PTL is amazing and the league system in India is becoming a big thing which is great for all the players. It’s very good for juniors who can come and learn from the top professional players of India during the tournament. I would say it is like T20 of tennis because you get a lot of matches in three hours. So, it’s an exciting format which is attracting a lot of top players of the country." 

Divij Sharan, Ramkumar Ramanathan participate

Top Indian tennis stars Ramkumar Ramanathan and Divij Sharan are also included among the 24 Pro Men's players participating in the tournament, who will be playing for Bengaluru Bulls. Eight Pro Women's players will also compete in the tournament including tennis star Riya Bhatia. 

Divij Sharan stated, "This is the first time I am playing in the league. It’s in Delhi and I am here so, I am super excited to play in PTL. The format is really exciting and it is going to be a lot of fun playing in the tournament. I think it gives a chance to the junior players to play and interact with the senior players. We have been playing in the circuit for so many years and have gained a lot of experience. So, the junior players can get a lot of things from us in terms of knowledge and we are happy to share our experience with all the players in the tournament." 

"PTL is going to be a fun event and I am really excited to be back here to play in the tournament. I am thankful to the organizers for coming up with the fourth edition of the tournament and I am excited to play in it and show my tennis to the audience," commented Ramkumar Ramanathan. 

Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) president Mr. Rohit Rajpal also felt happy with the fourth edition of PTL. "As DLTA, I am really happy that the fourth edition of the tournament is taking place and the draw is almost double what it was the last time. We have 64 players and I see a lot of familiar Davis Cup players here as well. So, I think overall it’s great that the PTL keeps growing with every edition and special thanks to the team owners who keep supporting the tournament and helping the Indian tennis grow in the right direction," he concluded.