Dubai: Tennis superstar Roger Federer of Switzerland will now play for Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s team. But this time, it’s not cricket.
Yes, India’s Test captain Kohli has been announced as a co-owner of the UAE Royals side in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), which is brainchild of Grand Slam winner and Davis Cupper Mahesh Bhupathi.
Federer has joined a formidable team of tennis superstars that include 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.
On Thursday, the official Twitter account of UAE Royals tweeted that Kohli is one of the co-owners of the franchise. “The #UAERoyals co-owner has arrived in #UAE & is excited about tomorrow’s press conference. Stay tuned for more!”
“The UAE Royals team is finally unveiled. The maestro @rogerfederer is with us this season. We are determined to win the crown. #IPTL2,” it added in another tweet.
“I have always followed tennis with great interest and today I am glad to be part of a professional tennis league team,” Kohli said at the official unveiling of the team on Thursday (September 10).
“I am a huge fan of Roger Federer and with him joining the UAE Royals, my decision to be on board with the team was firm. The UAE Royals feature some of tennis’ greatest players and I am confident about the prospects of the team in the IPTL. I am also excited about the format of the IPTL, which I am sure will drive further interest in the game of tennis,” he added.
The innovative team-based multi-nation tennis league has expanded to five teams for its second edition with the Japan Warriors joining last season’s champions, the Indian Aces, alongside the UAE Royals, the Philippine Mavericks and the Singapore Slammers, in a five-city swing starting on December 2 in Japan and ending at Singapore’s Indoor Stadium for the grand finale on December 20.
India will be represented by Indian Aces, who won the inaugural edition. Last year, Federer had played for India. This season, Leander Paes is part of the team. Kohli, who recently led India to a historic 2-1 Test series win in Sri Lanka, also co-owns a football team – FC Goa in the Indian Super League.