Australian Open champion Li Na on Monday defended her decision to skip the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), as she targets more grand slams and the world No.1 ranking.
The inaugural IPTL later this year will feature matches in Bangkok, Mumbai, Singapore and Dubai, geared to raise the profile of tennis across Asia and the Middle East.
But the event, modelled on cricket’s financially successful Indian Premier League, has been dealt a blow by the absence of Asia’s top male and female players – Japan’s Kei Nishikori and second-ranked Li.
The Chinese star became Asia’s first grand slam winner at the 2011 French Open and followed up with a second major title at Melbourne in January, propelling her to a career-high ranking.
WTA chief Stacey Allaster has placed the 32-year-old at the head of a concerted push into Asia including multiple new tournaments in China and the end-of-season championships in Singapore.
In September, Li’s home city of Wuhan will host a new, premier-level competition – one of six WTA events on Chinese soil this year.
But the hottest property in women’s tennis appears to have no room in her tightly packed calendar for November and December’s IPTL – the brainchild of Indian doubles star Mahesh Bhupathi.
“I already put my schedule (together) at the end of last year,” Li said in Hong Kong, where she was due to play an exhibition match against Australia’s 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur to mark World Tennis Day.
“When I was doing it, I didn’t see any (IPTL) tournament… so that’s why I didn’t do (schedule) it.”
The league will take place from November 27-December 14 and feature 24 matches across the four host cities.
It falls when most tour players opt to get some rest, only weeks before Li would defend her Australian Open title.
Li said her focus was on adding to her two slams and replacing Serena Williams at the top of the rankings.
“I want to be number one in the world. It’s a goal, the dream for all athletes. I will try as hard as I can. There’s no timing (put on it).”
Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova are also missing the IPTL in which $US24 million ($A27 million) has been spent signing up players including Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Williams.
World No.5 Tomas Berdych and Lleyton Hewitt will play for Team Singapore while Wimbledon champion Andy Murray lines up for Team Bangkok.
Each match will follow a best-of-five format comprising separate sets contested in men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles and past champions singles.
“It’s an honour to be picked,” Berdych said ahead of his exhibition match with Hewitt. “I’m always looking for a new experience and I see this is a good one. I think it’s going to be a great success.”
Hewitt said it was a “fantastic concept”.
