The 2014 UAE Royals season is the inaugural season of the franchise playing in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
| 2014 UAE Royals | |
|---|---|
| 2014 record | 2 wins, 0 losses |
| Owner(s) | Ace Ventures |
| President/CEO | Sachin Gadoya and Sawan Ravani |
| Coach | John-Laffnie de Jager |
| Stadium | Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex |
| Television coverage | Abu Dhabi Media |
Season recap
editFounding of franchise
editOn 21 January 2014, IPTL announced that one of the charter franchises for the league's inaugural 2014 season would be based in the Middle East.[1][2] On 2 March 2014, IPTL revealed that the Middle East franchise would play its home matches in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[3] The team was founded by Ace Ventures, a group of investors led by Sachin Gadoya, co-founder and chief executive officer of Musafir.com, an Internet-based travel agency, along with his friends Sawan Ravani, Rahul Saharia, Kaushal Majithia, Chirag Vora and Kunal Bansal.[4][5]
Inaugural draft
editThe Dubai franchise participated in the IPTL inaugural draft on 2 March 2014, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Players selected by Dubai were[3]
| Player | IPTL Category |
|---|---|
| Men | |
 Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић) |
Icon players |
| Janko Tipsarević (Serbian: Јанко Типсаревић) |
Category D |
 Goran Ivanišević |
Past champions |
| Nenad Zimonjić (Serbian: Ненад Зимоњић) |
Doubles players |
 Malek Jaziri (Arabic: مالك الجزيري) |
Uncategorized |
| Women | |
 Caroline Wozniacki |
Icon players |
 Martina Hingis |
Category C |
Team name
editBy May 2014, the team was being referred to as the UAE Falcons.[6] By June 2014, the Falcons had become known as the UAE Royals.[5]
Home venue
editOn 25 June 2014, the Royals announced that their home matches would be played at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex.[5]
Player transactions
editOn 25 June 2014, the Royals announced that they had signed Richard Gasquet.[5] On 22 August 2014, the Royals announced that the team had signed Eugenie Bouchard during Wimbledon.[7] A team roster posted by the Royals on Facebook excluded Janko Tipsarević and Martina Hingis who were presumably released following the signings of Gasquet and Bouchard.[8] On 19 October 2014, the Royals announced that they had signed Marin Čilić and released Gasquet.[9][10] On 24 November 2014, Bouchard pulled out from the competition due to an injury and was replaced by Kristina Mladenovic.[11]
First coach
editOn 27 October 2014, John-Laffnie de Jager was named the Royals' first coach.[12]
Event chronology
edit- 21 January 2014: IPTL announced that one of the charter franchises for the league inaugural 2014 season would be in the Middle East.[1][2]
- 2 March: IPTL revealed that the Middle East franchise will play in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Dubai franchise participated in the IPTL inaugural draft.[3]
- 10 May: The Dubai franchise was referred to as the UAE Falcons.[6]
- 25 June: The Falcons' name is changed to the UAE Royals.[5]
- 25 June: The Royals announced that their home matches would be played at the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex.[5]
- 25 June: The Royals announced that they had signed Richard Gasquet.[5] Janko Tipsarević was later apparently released.[8]
- 22 August: The Royals announced that they had signed Eugenie Bouchard.[7] Martina Hingis was later apparently released.[8]
- 19 October: the Royals announced that they had signed Marin Čilić and released Richard Gasquet.[9][10]
- 27 October: John-Laffnie de Jager was named the Royals' first coach.[12]
- 24 November: The Royals announced Eugenie Bouchard withdrawn from the competition due to an injury. She was replaced by Kristina Mladenovic.[11]
- 28 November: The Royals opened their inaugural season with a 29–24 victory on the road against the Manila Mavericks.[13]
- 30 November: The Royals lost to the Indian Aces, 28–20, in a matchup of two previously unbeaten teams. The Royals' record fell to 2 wins and 1 loss, and they dropped out of first place in the league standings.[14]
Match log
editLegend Royals Win Royals Loss Home team in CAPS
(including coin-flip winners)
Key: MS = men's singles; MD = men's doubles; WS = women's singles; XD = mixed doubles; LS = legends' singles; OT = overtime (additional games played in extended fifth sets); SO = men's singles super shoot-out
Roster
editReference:[16]
Eugenie Bouchard – injured, did not play
Marin Čilić
Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић)- Goran Ivanišević
Malek Jaziri (Arabic: مالك الجزيري)
Kristina Mladenovic
Caroline Wozniacki- Nenad Zimonjić (Serbian: Ненад Зимоњић)
Television coverage
editOn 22 August 2014, IPTL announced it had reached an agreement for the Middle East and North Africa television broadcasting rights with Abu Dhabi Media.[7]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b "Mahesh Bhupathi Launched IPTL in Melbourne". Jagran Josh. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Mumbai One of the Franchises in Cash-Rich International Premier Tennis League". CNN IBN Live. 21 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
- ^ a b c Briggs, Simon (2 March 2014). "Andy Murray Signs for Bangkok As Premier Tennis League Prepares for Take-Off". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ "Get Together at Wimbledon with Announcement of Team Owners for India, Singapore, Manila and UAE" (PDF) (Press release). International Premier Tennis League. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ousman, Allaam (25 June 2014). "Djokovic Leads UAE Royals at Inaugural IPTL: Dubai Will Host Finale of $1 Million Tournament from December 11–13". Emirates 24/7. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Bhupathi's IPTL Opener Moved to Manila from Bangkok". The Times of India. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ a b c Gomes, Alaric (22 August 2014). "Eugenie Bouchard Joins the Dubai Bandwagon". Gulf News. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b c "Meet the UAE Royal Star Line Up". UAE Royals. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Reigning US Open Champ Marin Cilic Adds Croat Muscle to U.A.E. Royals IPTL Campaign". UAE Interact. 20 October 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Reigning US Open Champion Marin Cilic Joins UAE Royals". Sport 360. 19 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Injury Forces Eugenie Bouchard to Withdraw from 2014 IPTL, Kristina Mladenovic Replaces Her in UAE Royals". 27 November 2014.
- ^ a b "International Premier Tennis League Announces Coaches for Inaugural Edition". Spicy Stars Mumbai. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ a b "Match 2 – Report: Musafir.com UAE Royals vs. Manila Mavericks" (PDF). International Premier Tennis League. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ a b "Day 3 Match 1 – Report: Musafir.com UAE Royals vs. Micromax Indian Aces" (PDF). International Premier Tennis League. 30 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "29th Nov'14: Match 1 Report: Musafir.com UAE Royals vs. DBS Singapore Slammers" (PDF). International Premier Tennis League. 29 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- ^ "Meet the Royals". UAE Royals. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2014.