2014 Indian Aces season
The 2014 Indian Aces season (officially the 2014 Micromax Indian Aces season pursuant to a sponsorship agreement with Micromax Informatics Ltd., the team's current owner) is the inaugural season of the franchise playing in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL).
| 2014 Indian Aces | |
|---|---|
| International Premier Tennis League Champions | |
| 2014 record | 5 wins, 2 losses |
| Owner(s) | Micromax Informatics Ltd. |
| President/CEO | Rahul Sharma |
| Coach | Fabrice Santoro |
| Captain | Fabrice Santoro |
| Stadium | Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium |
| Television coverage | STAR Sports |
Season recap
Founding of franchise
On 21 January 2014, IPTL announced that one of the charter franchises for the league inaugural 2014 season would be based in Delhi.[1] On 19 June 2014, an IPTL press release[2] revealed to the general public that the owner of the Indian franchise was Micromax Informatics Ltd. which preferred to have the team play its home matches in New Delhi and not in Mumbai. A group called PVP Ventures led by entrepreneur Prasad V Potluri (Telugu: ప్రసాద్ వి పొట్లూరి) and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had been the original franchise owners with a plan to play home matches in Mumbai.[3] While league managing director Mahesh Bhupathi said PVP Ventures had been replaced by Micromax, because PVP missed a payment deadline, PVP said it had withdrawn from the league due to lack of clarity over how IPTL's business model was progressing and disagreements over player contracts. PVP did not want the team to be solely responsible for payment of player salaries and favored the league being obligated as well.[4]
Inaugural draft
The Indian Aces participated in the IPTL inaugural draft on 2 March 2014, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Players selected by Aces were[5]
| Player | IPTL Category |
|---|---|
| Men | |
 Rafael Nadal | Icon players |
 Pete Sampras | Icon players |
 Gaël Monfils | Category B |
| Fabrice Santoro | Past champions |
 Rohan Bopanna | Doubles players |
| Women | |
 Ana Ivanovic | Category B |
| Sania Mirza | Category D |
Team name
By May 2014, the team was named the Indian Aces.[6]
Home venue
On 25 July 2014, the Aces announced that their home matches would be played at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, Delhi.[3]
Injury to Rafael Nadal and signing of Roger Federer
On 22 September 2014, the Aces announced that Rafael Nadal will not play due to an injury. As a replacement, the Aces signed Roger Federer.[7]
First coach
On 27 October 2014, Fabrice Santoro was named the Aces' first coach.[8]
Event chronology
- 21 January 2014: IPTL announced that one of the charter franchises for the league inaugural 2014 season would be in India.
- 2 March: The Delhi franchise participated in the IPTL inaugural draft.[5]
- 10 May: The Delhi franchise was named the Indian Aces.[6]
- 25 July: The Aces announced that their home matches would be played at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, Delhi.[3]
- 22 September: The Aces signed Roger Federer to replace Rafael Nadal who will not play due to an injury.[7]
- 27 October: Fabrice Santoro was named the Aces' first coach.[8]
- 28 November: The Indian Aces defeated the Singapore Slammers, 26–16, in the first match in IPTL history.[9] Rohan Bopanna served the first point of the league's inaugural match.[10]
- 30 November: The Aces defeated the UAE Royals, 28–20, in a matchup of two previously unbeaten teams. The Aces improved their record to 3 wins and 0 losses and moved into first place in the league standings.[11]
- 3 December: The Aces suffer their first defeat in the 2014 season to the home team, Singapore Slammers.
- 13 December The Aces finish at the top of the league table and are subsequently declared IPTL champions of 2014.
Match log
Legend Aces Win Aces Loss Home team in CAPS
(including coin-flip winners)
| Match | Date | Venue and location | Result and details | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 November | Mall of Asia Arena Pasay, Metropolitan Manla, Philippines | INDIAN ACES 26 vs. Singapore Slammers 16[9] * XD: Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 6, Daniela Hantuchová/Bruno Soares (Slammers) 4 * LS: Fabrice Santoro (Aces) 6, Patrick Rafter (Slammers) 5 * MD: Rohan Bopanna/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 2, Tomáš Berdych/Nick Kyrgios (Slammers) 6 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Daniela Hantuchová (Slammers) 0 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Lleyton Hewitt (Slammers) 1 | 1–0 |
| 2 | 29 November | Mall of Asia Arena Pasay, Metropolitan Manla, Philippines | Indian Aces 24 vs. MANILA MAVERICKS 15[12] * LS: Fabrice Santoro (Aces) 6, Daniel Nestor (Mavericks) 1 ***Daniel Nestor substituted for Carlos Moyá * MD: Rohan Bopanna/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 0, Treat Huey/Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Mavericks) 6 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Andy Murray (Mavericks) 4 * XD: Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 6, Maria Sharapova/Andy Murray (Mavericks) 1 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Maria Sharapova (Mavericks) 3 | 2–0 |
| 3 | 30 November | Mall of Asia Arena Pasay, Metropolitan Manla, Philippines | Indian Aces 28 vs. UAE ROYALS 20[11] * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 4, Kristina Mladenovic (Royals) 6 * XD: Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 6, Kristina Mladenovic/Nenad Zimonjić (Royals) 3 * MD: Rohan Bopanna/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Marin Čilić/Nenad Zimonjić (Royals) 4 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Malek Jaziri (Royals) 3 ***Malek Jaziri substituted for Marin Čilić * LS: Fabrice Santoro (Aces) 6, Goran Ivanišević (Royals) 4 | 3–0 |
| 4 | 2 December | Singapore Indoor Stadium Singapore | Indian Aces 30 vs. UAE Royals 11 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Kristina Mladenovic (Royals) 2 * XD: Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 6, Kristina Mladenovic/Nenad Zimonjić (Royals) 5 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Marin Čilić (Royals) 1 * LS: Fabrice Santoro (Aces) 6, Goran Ivanišević (Royals) 2 * MD: Rohan Bopanna/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Nenad Zimonjić/Marin Čilić (Royals) 1 | 4–0 |
| 5 | 3 December | Singapore Indoor Stadium Singapore | Indian Aces 23 vs. SINGAPORE SLAMMERS 24 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 4, Serena Williams (Slammers) 6 * XD: Rohan Bopanna/Sania Mirza (Aces) 6, Serena Williams/Tomáš Berdych (Slammers) 3 * LS: Fabrice Santoro (Aces) 6, Andre Agassi (Slammers) 2 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 2, Tomáš Berdych (Slammers) 6 * MD: Rohan Bopanna/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Nick Kyrgios/Lleyton Hewitt (Slammers) 5 * SO: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 0, Tomáš Berdych (Slammers) 1 | 4–1 |
| 6 | 4 December | Singapore Indoor Stadium Singapore | Indian Aces 20 vs. Manila Mavericks 25 *LS: Cédric Pioline (Aces) 4, Mark Philippoussis (Mavericks) 6 ***Cédric Pioline substituted for Fabrice Santoro * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Kirsten Flipkens (Mavericks) 2 * XD: Rohan Bopanna/Sania Mirza (Aces) 2, Kirsten Flipkens/Daniel Nestor (Mavericks) 6 * MD: Gaël Monfils/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 2, Treat Huey/Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Mavericks) 6 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Mavericks) 3 | 4–2 |
| 7 | 6 December | Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium New Delhi, Delhi, India | Manila Mavericks 25 vs. INDIAN ACES 26 * MXD: Rohan Bopanna/Sania Mirza (Aces) 5, Daniel Nestor/Kirsten Flipkens (Mavericks) 6 * MLS: Cédric Pioline (Aces) 4, Mark Philippoussis (Mavericks) 6 * MD: Gaël Monfils/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 6, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/Treat Huey (Mavericks) 5 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 4, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Mavericks) 6 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Kirsten Flipkens (Mavericks) 2 * SO: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 1, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Mavericks) 0 | 5-2 |
| 8 | 7 December | Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium New Delhi, Delhi, India | Singapore Slammers 17 vs. INDIAN ACES 26 [9] * LS: Pete Sampras (Aces) 2, Patrick Rafter (Slammers) 6 * XD: Sania Mirza/Roger Federer (Aces) 6, Nick Kyrgios/Daniela Hantuchová (Slammers) 0 * MD: Roger Federer/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 6, Lleyton Hewitt/Nick Kyrgios (Slammers) 2 * MS: Roger Federer (Aces) 6, Tomáš Berdych (Slammers) 4 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Daniela Hantuchová (Slammers) 5 | 6-2 |
| 9 | 8 December | Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium New Delhi, Delhi, India | UAE Royals 29 vs. INDIAN ACES 22 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 5, Kristina Mladenovic (Royals) 6 * LS: ***Fabrice Santoro substituted for Pete Sampras 3, Goran Ivanišević (Royals) 6 * MX: Sania Mirza/Roger Federer (Aces) 2, Kristina Mladenovic/Nenad Zimonjić (Royals) 6 * MD: Roger Federer/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Nenad Zimonjić/Novak Djokovic (Royals) 5 * MS: Roger Federer (Aces) 6, Novak Djokovic (Royals) 5 | 6-3 |
| 10 | 11 December | Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex Dubai, United Arab Emirates | INDIAN ACES 28 vs. Singapore Slammers 24 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Daniela Hantuchová (Slammers) 5 * LS: Fabrice Santoro (Aces) 6, Patrick Rafter (Slammers) 3 * XD: Sania Mirza/Rohan Bopanna (Aces) 6, Daniela Hantuchová/Bruno Soares (Slammers) 5 * MD: Rohan Bopanna/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Lleyton Hewitt/Bruno Soares (Slammers) 3 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 4, Tomáš Berdych (Slammers) 8 | 7–3 |
| 11 | 12 December | Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Manila Mavericks 23 vs. Indian Aces 28[13] * LS: Fabrice Santoro (Aces) 6, Mark Philippoussis (Mavericks) 3 * MS: Gaël Monfils (Aces) 6, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Mavericks) 2 * MXD: Rohan Bopanna/Sania Mirza (Aces) 6, Daniel Nestor/Kirsten Flipkens (Mavericks) 4 * WS: Ana Ivanovic (Aces) 6, Kirsten Flipkens (Mavericks) 3 * MD: Rohan Bopanna/Gaël Monfils (Aces) 3, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga/Daniel Nestor (Mavericks) 6 | 8-3 |
| 12 | 13 December | Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Sports Complex Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Indian Aces vs. UAE Royals |
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
Reference:[14]
- Fabrice Santoro – Player-Coach
- Rohan Bopanna
Roger Federer- Ana Ivanovic
- Sania Mirza
- Gaël Monfils
- Rafael Nadal – injured, will not play
- Pete Sampras
Player transactions
- 22 September 2014: The Aces signed Roger Federer to replace Rafael Nadal who will not play due to an injury.[7]
Television coverage
Television coverage of Aces matches in India will be provided by STAR Sports.[15]
See also
References
- "Mahesh Bhupathi Launched IPTL in Melbourne". Jagran Josh. 22 January 2014. Retrieved 17 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 19 November 2014.
- Tagore, Vijay (25 July 2014). "Djoko Will Play Nadal in Delhi on December 8". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- Rao, K Shriniwas (19 July 2014). "IPTL in Doubt as PVP Opts Out of Mumbai Franchise, Bhupathi Defiant". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- Briggs, Simon (2 March 2014). "Andy Murray Signs for Bangkok As Premier Tennis League Prepares for Take-Off". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- "Bhupathi's IPTL Opener Moved to Manila from Bangkok". The Times of India. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- "Federer Replaces Injured Nadal in Indian Team for IPTL". The Times of India. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- "International Premier Tennis League Announces Coaches for Inaugural Edition". Spicy Stars Mumbai. 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 June 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- "28th Nov'14: Match 1 Report: Micromax Indian Aces vs. DBS Singapore Slammers" (PDF). International Premier Tennis League. 28 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- "Micromax Indian Aces vs. DBS Singapore Slammers". Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League. 28 November 2014. MNC Sports 1.
- "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.
- "Day 2 Match 2 – Report: Manila Mavericks vs. Micromax Indian Aces" (PDF). International Premier Tennis League. 29 November 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
- "Day 11 Match 21 – Report: Micromax Indian Aces vs. Manila Mavericks" (PDF). International Premier Tennis League. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
- "The Players". Indian Aces. Archived from the original on 19 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
- "STAR Sports Acquires Rights to Telecast International Premier Tennis League" (PDF) (Press release). International Premier Tennis League. 16 October 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
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