Sports
Roger Federer, Serena Williams to miss IPTL, to return to Tennis in 2017
Inspite of Roger Federer and Serena Williams being the big draws of the Indian leg of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) 2016 scheduled to take place in Hyderabad from Dec. 9-11, the organizers have confirmed that the duo will not participate in the competition.
Roger Federal has not played since the semi-final defeat to Milos Raonic at Wimbledon due to a knee injury, but was expected to feature at the IPTL event this year.
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Serena Williams has also struggled with a shoulder injury in the second half of the season – which was the reason she missed the WTA finals.
However, it was thought she would make a comeback at this event.
The IPTL said it was “sad to announce that Roger Federal and Serena Williams won’t participate at this year’s IPTL” and claimed it was due to the current “uncertainty” of spending money in India.
Mahesh Bhupathi, the founder and Managing director of the IPTL said: “We have had challenges this year, and we are hoping to get past them.
“With th current economic climate in India and the uncertainty of spending money, I reached out to both Roger and Serena to explain the situation.
“They have both been very supportive to the IPTL the first two seasons and we look forward to bring them in future years.”
Ultimately, both Roger and Serena are expected to return early next year when the Australian Open begins.
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