IPTL 2016: TV and online broadcasters in the UK and abroad, teams and format

The third edition of the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) kicks off in Tokyo on 2 December with four teams participating in the exhibition event which brings together players from the ATP and WTA Tours. Roger Federer and Serena Williams are the main draws this season among others, which include Kei Nishikori, Tomas Berdych and Eugenie Bouchard.

The 2016 edition is shorter compared to previous years as it will only take place in three cities with the UAE and the Philippines dropped for this season. There will also be only four teams this time around after the Manila-based team pulled out owing to the tense political situation in the country.

The third season runs from 2 December to 11 December starting with the UAE Royals taking on 2015 champions the Singapore Slammers in the opening encounter at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo. Live TV and online coverage of IPTL is available across the world with Sky Sports providing coverage in the United Kingdom.

International viewers can also view all the 18 matches live online on the official IPTL website.

List of broadcasters from across the world

Teams

Indian Aces – Roger Federer, Eugenie Bouchard, Ivan Dodig, Rohan Bopanna, Sania Mirza, Feliciano Lopez, Thomas Enquist, Mark Philippoussis

OUE Singapore Slammers – Carlos Moya, Marcelo Melo, Nick Kyrgios, Serena Williams, Kiki Bertens, Rainer Schuttler, Marcos Baghdatis

Japan Warriors – Fernando Gonzalez, Fernando Verdasco, Kei Nishikori, Marat Safin, Jean-Julien Roger, Jelena Jankovic, Kurumi Nara

UAE Royals – Tomas Berdych, Ana Ivanovic, Daniel Nestor, Martina Hingis, Thomas Johansson, Pablo Cuevas, Goran Ivanisevic

Format

The match format will consist of five games.

Men's singles, men's doubles, women's singles, mixed doubles and legend's singles.

Substitution rules

• Each team is allowed one substitution per set
• A doubles player can be substituted by another doubles, singles or legends player.
• A singles player can be substituted by another singles or doubles player
• A legends player can only be substituted by another legends player
• In the event of an injury and there are no available substitutes, the team loses the set with the winning team receiving a total of six games for that set. The losing team, however, will still be awarded the games that they had won up until the time of the injury.

The entire set of rules and regulations can be found on the official IPTL website.