The IPTL has admitted that the tough economic climate is the reason behind Roger Federer and Serena Williams’ withdrawal from this year’s event. In a short statement released on Twitter, Manesh Bhupathi confirmed: “We have had challenges this year, and we were hoping to get past them.
“With the current economic climate in India and the uncertainty of spending money, I reached out to both Roger and Serena to explain the situation.”
IPTL Official Statement on Serena Williams and Roger Federer: https://t.co/6pwjN5zOD3 pic.twitter.com/7Ii6svDC1T
— IPTL (@iptl) December 6, 2016
The announcement comes after a series of rumours surrounding the future of the event. After an impressive launch in 2014, the IPTL has struggled to garner the significant commercial or spectator interest needed to attract tennis’ biggest stars.
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