Djokovic didn't even want to touch a racquet: Bhupathi

MANILA: Mahesh Bhupathi is disappointed that Novak Djokovic pulled out of IPTL-2 at the eleventh hour, but the founder of the popular team tennis league assures Asian fans that the world No. 1 will return for the third edition next year.
“Of course, losing him (Novak) is a big loss, but he called and said that after the kind of year he has had, he plans to not touch a racket for a month in order to re charge for the next season.He really enjoyed the format last year and will be back next year," vouches Bhupathi.
Djokovic, who played for the UAE Royals in the inaugural IPTL, just couldn't stop winning this season. He lost just six out of 88 matches en route to 11 titles including three Grand Slams and four Masters. Even in Djokovic's absence, IPTL-2 has an impressive star cast. Eight of the world's top 10 men, the world No. 1s in women's singles and doubles make up this year's five-team field which has 11 singles Grand Slam champions and 8 doubles major winners.
Having been a former world No. 1 in doubles who played on the Tour for two decades and won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles, Bhupathi knows most of the players well which made it easy for him to approach them for IPTL. But he points out that it's the format of the tournament which appeals most to the players.
“They all love the team atmosphere which hardly exists in tennis... That appeals to the players. They loved it in the first season and that's why they have come back this time too," said Bhupathi, who wants to take tennis to different Asian cities which don't get to see the top stars in action 'live.' He is confident that the league can be sustained long-term because the owners of the team franchises have a viable business model.
“Each team will be different. I think countries like India and Philippines will break even in Year 3 if not earlier. Dubai and Singapore are mature markets for sports and entertainment, so they could take a year longer. Japan is a very big market and are expecting to break even next year,” Bhupathi explains.