Indian Aces

{{Infobox sports team

|team = Indian Aces

|logo = File:Indian Aces International Premier Tennis League team logo.png

|pixels =

|sport = Team tennis

|founded = {{start date|2014}}

|current = 2014 Indian Aces season

|folded = 2016

|league = International Premier Tennis League

|division =

|history = 2014–2016

|arena =

|ballpark =

|stadium = Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium

|city = New Delhi, Delhi, India

|colors = Orange, India Green

|owner = Siddhesh Sharma

|president =

|gm =

|coach = Fabrice Santoro

|championships = 1 (2014)

|division_titles =

|playoff_berths =

|cheerleaders =

|dancers =

|mascot =

|broadcasters = STAR Sports

|media =

|website = {{URL|http://indianaces.com/}}

}}

The Indian Aces were a tennis team based in New Delhi, India that competed in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL). It is one of the four charter franchises which had participated in the IPTL's inaugural 2014 season and are champions of the first edition.{{cite tweet|number=543830879429083136|user=iptl|title=4 countries. 24 matches. 1 team emerges triumphant! #BreakTheCode |date=13 December 2014}}

Team history

=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 Mumbai.{{cite web|title=Mahesh Bhupathi Launched IPTL in Melbourne|url=http://www.jagranjosh.com/current-affairs/mahesh-bhupathi-launched-iptl-in-melbourne-1390393112-1|date=22 January 2014|website=Jagran Josh|accessdate=17 November 2014}}{{cite web|title=Mumbai One of the Franchises in Cash-Rich International Premier Tennis League|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mumbai-one-of-the-franchises-in-cashrich-international-premier-tennis-league/446899-5-22.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121203843/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/mumbai-one-of-the-franchises-in-cashrich-international-premier-tennis-league/446899-5-22.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 January 2014|date=21 January 2014|website=CNN IBN Live|accessdate=17 November 2014}} On 19 June 2014, an IPTL press release{{cite press release|url=http://www.iptlworld.com/pdf/IPTL-Owners%20announced.pdf|title=Get Together at Wimbledon with Announcement of Team Owners for India, Singapore, Manila and UAE|publisher=International Premier Tennis League|date=19 June 2014|accessdate=19 November 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129062829/http://www.iptlworld.com/pdf/IPTL-Owners%20announced.pdf|archivedate=29 November 2014}} 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 and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar had been the original franchise owners with a plan to play home matches in Mumbai.{{cite web|last1=Tagore|first1=Vijay|title=Djoko Will Play Nadal in Delhi on December 8|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/cover-story/Djoko-will-play-Nadal-in-Delhi-on-December-8/articleshow/38983661.cms|date=25 July 2014|website=Mumbai Mirror|accessdate=19 November 2014}} 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.{{cite web|last=Rao|first1=K Shriniwas|title=IPTL in Doubt as PVP Opts Out of Mumbai Franchise, Bhupathi Defiant|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/international-premier-tennis-league/IPTL-in-doubt-as-PVP-opts-out-of-Mumbai-franchise-Bhupathi-defiant/articleshow/38657706.cms|date=19 July 2014|website=The Times of India|accessdate=19 November 2014}}

=Inaugural draft=

The Mumbai franchise (as the Aces were still known at the time) participated in the IPTL inaugural draft on 2 March 2014, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.{{cite web|last1=Briggs|first1=Simon|title=Andy Murray Signs for Bangkok As Premier Tennis League Prepares for Take-Off|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/andymurray/10671811/Andy-Murray-signs-for-Bangkok-as-Premier-Tennis-League-prepares-for-take-off.html|date=2 March 2014|website=The Telegraph|accessdate=18 November 2014}}

style="background:#138808; color:orange" width="350px"\| Player !style="background:#138808; color:orange" width="150px"\| IPTL Category
class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
colspan=2; style="text-align:center; background:#89CFF0" \| Men
{{flagicon\|ESP}} Rafael Nadal{{efn\|group=draft\|Nadal was injured and did not play. He was replaced on the Aces roster by Roger Federer.}}	Icon players
{{flagicon\|USA}} Pete Sampras	Icon players
{{flagicon\|FRA}} Gaël Monfils	Category B
{{flagicon\|FRA}} Fabrice Santoro	Past champions
{{flagicon\|IND}} Rohan Bopanna	Doubles players
colspan=2; style="text-align:center; background:pink" \| Women
{{flagicon\|SRB}} Ana Ivanovic	Category B
{{flagicon\|IND}} Sania Mirza	Category D

Notes

=Team name=

By May 2014, the team had been named the Indian Aces.{{cite web|title=Bhupathi's IPTL Opener Moved to Manila from Bangkok|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Bhupathis-IPTL-opener-moved-to-Manila-from-Bangkok/articleshow/34930784.cms|date=10 May 2014|website=The Times of India|accessdate=19 November 2014}}

=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.

=First coach=

On 27 October 2014, Fabrice Santoro was named the Aces' first coach.{{cite web|title=International Premier Tennis League Announces Coaches for Inaugural Edition|url=http://spicystarsmumbai.com/international-premier-tennis-league-announces-team-coaches-for-inaugural-edition.html|website=Spicy Stars Mumbai|date=28 October 2014|accessdate=21 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601215325/http://spicystarsmumbai.com/international-premier-tennis-league-announces-team-coaches-for-inaugural-edition.html|archive-date=1 June 2015|url-status=dead}}

=Inaugural season=

On 28 November 2014, the Aces defeated the Singapore Slammers, 26–16, in the first match in IPTL history.{{cite web|title=28th Nov’14: Match 1 Report: Micromax Indian Aces vs. DBS Singapore Slammers|url=http://www.iptlworld.com/uploads/pdf/IPTL-Manila%20Day%201%20Match%201-28Nov14.pdf|date=28 November 2014|website=International Premier Tennis League|accessdate=1 December 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141212041254/http://www.iptlworld.com/uploads/pdf/IPTL-Manila%20Day%201%20Match%201-28Nov14.pdf|archivedate=12 December 2014}} Rohan Bopanna served the first point of the league's inaugural match.{{cite episode|title=Micromax Indian Aces vs. DBS Singapore Slammers|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F_RuGKh00E|series=Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League|network=MNC Sports 1|date=28 November 2014}}

They went on to be the champion of the 2014 International Premier Tennis League

Television coverage

On 16 October 2014, IPTL announced it had reached an agreement for the Indian television broadcasting rights with STAR Sports.{{cite press release|title=STAR Sports Acquires Rights to Telecast International Premier Tennis League|url=http://www.iptlworld.com/pdf/IPTL-Star-Sports-Release-16Oct14.pdf|publisher=International Premier Tennis League|date=16 October 2014|accessdate=20 November 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129070805/http://www.iptlworld.com/pdf/IPTL-Star-Sports-Release-16Oct14.pdf|archivedate=29 November 2014}}

Sponsorship

According to the Aces' website,{{cite web|title=Indian Aces|url=http://www.indianaces.co.in|website=Indian Aces|accessdate=21 November 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107141552/http://www.indianaces.co.in/|archivedate=7 November 2014}} Micromax was the team's title sponsor in the 2014 edition.