IPTL: When the gods of tennis descended upon Delhi

Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Novak Djokovic, Pat Rafter, Goran Ivanisevic, Lleyton Hewitt and Marin Cilic. It was a star parade you could not have missed if you are a tennis fan.

For a city which does not have a sporting culture and longs free passes even for an event of this magnitude, the three-day party is over. Those who could not afford to pay huge prices for the tickets - much more expensive than cricket’s Indian Premier League – television was the only option.

Agreed, there is nothing like watching it "live" when you get to see your favourite Grand Slam champions in flesh and blood, even if you needed a pair of binoculars at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The compensation, so to say, was the ambience inside the arena where the oohs and aahs justified the hype which had been slowly built by tennis star-turned-businessman Mahesh Bhupathi.

For over a year-and-a-half, we had been hearing about the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), though cynics were quick to say it would be a flop show. The star parade initially promised was Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and a few more.

Yet, as fans in India relive the valuable moments of the last three days, action from the IPTL was value for money, if viewed purely from the fun aspect. Federer was quick to point out this was exhibition tennis and the format suited his schedule well. I am sure the crisp green bucks he made was good compensation for what is described as a tennis player’s off-season.

As one lucky enough to have watched Pistol Pete, bad man Goran and good old Rafter at their peaks on the well manicured lawns of Wimbledon in years gone by, the IPTL was more like reconnecting with old memories.

At their best, these superstars performed brilliantly on grass, though the makeshift indoor carpet surface at the IG stadium served the purpose well.

To be sure, for the avid Indian tennis fan who wanted to see top flight stars in action in flesh and blood in India, the best option was Davis Cup ties. Once India got an ATP Tour event in 1996 and then moved to Chennai in 1997, the southern metropolis became a pilgrimage centre for the fan.

The success of the Chennai ATP event has been measured by the star value it provided to the tennis fan, though ticket prices there were much less compared to New Delhi. If 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek and runner-up MaliVai Washington adorned the field in the 1997 Open in Chennai, subsequent years saw Nadal, Rafter and German heartthrob Boris Becker melt the hearts of fans in the Chennai heat.

In the last five years or so, the Chennai Open has lost its star value, which could be attributed to the inability of people involved with the tournament in paying the big players tempting appearance money.

In a way, it would not be an exaggeration to state that if the ATP event in Chennai is unable to generate fan interest anymore, the IPTL is more entertaining.

Let’s be clear - the IPTL is not about serious tennis all the time and the format is complex. Yet, for those who watched the event live or on television, to have seen seven Grand Slam singles champions wield the racquet was terrific. There was an eighth Grand Slam champion also part of the jamboree, but former French Open winner Carlos Moya was busy with other duties.

You may not have got to see Pistol Pete’s killer second serve or the patent slam dunk overhead. You may not have got to see Rafter slide on court and close in on the net for punching the volley. You did not hear Goran curse or swear at the umpires that loudly or hear him repeat a word he loves: "unbeelavabul". There is a message these loveable tennis stars have sent to the world: India is, after all, not such an unsafe place to travel to.