As the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) launches today starting in the Philippines capital, Manila (28 to 30 November) followed by matches in Singapore (2 to 4 December), Delhi (6 to 8 December) and Dubai (11 to 13 December), Repucom predict an upsurge in tennis fans across Asia and the Middle East.
The unparalleled line-up rivaling a grand slam exemplifies the superb growth, popularity and market for tennis in Asia and the Middle East. Repucom´s SportsDNA study reveals that 11 per cent of people interviewed aged 16-69 in urban areas of India this year, stated that they were interested in tennis, constituting 29 million people, a significant figure when considering the huge status of cricket in the country.
Singapore is by far the country with the highest proliferation of tennis fans amongst the four countries where the event is taking place, with 40 per cent of people interested in tennis, which equates to 1.78 million of the population, followed by 20 per cent of people said to be interested in tennis in the UAE, constituting approximately 740,000 people. 17.4 per cent of people interviewed in urban areas of the Philippines last year stated that they were interested in tennis, which results in 5.5 million of the population.
The IPTL player line-up includes top tennis stars, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Andy Murray, Caroline Wozniacki, Ana Ivanovic, Indian starlet Sania Mirza, as well as tennis legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, who will all draw attention to the sport, leading to a further increase of interest in tennis, Repucom predict.
Repucom’s Senior Vice President, South Asia and Director, India, Joseph Eapen, said: "The IPTL will be a big boost for tennis in Asia. People are more aware of the sport and Asia and the Middle East are investing a lot of money in developing world-class sports stadiums and grounds. Globosport, an existing Repucom client and organisers of the event, have done a tremendous job in securing the biggest stars in tennis and promoting the much anticipated event. In these regions that are highly passionate about sports, the IPTL will inspire people to watch and even play tennis."
ABOUT REPUCOM´S SPORTSDNA
Repucom´s SportsDNA study the world’s largest multi-client study in sports is based on more than 30,000 interviews of people aged 16-69 in urban areas in over 30 countries. SportsDNA is a comprehensive study on the topics of sports and sponsorship. In the scope of the study, interest in selected sporting sectors is analysed in order to define basic potential (Top-3-Box) and focused potential (Top-2-Box). In addition, the most popular TV sports are investigated, primarily for definition of effective media sports. A further objective of the study is the identification of the images of selected sports and which sponsors achieved most effective penetration in these. Awareness and interest in events and teams provide detailed information on "sports brands". Sector preferences, attitudes towards sponsorship, sporting activity and demographics of respondents round off the survey portfolio and provide conclusions with regard to the individual sporting and cultural target groups.
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