ITV

Tag: Prakash Amritraj

  • Tennis Channel will have exclusive, live coverage of India-Pakistan Davis Cup matchup this weekend

    Tennis Channel will have exclusive, live coverage of India-Pakistan Davis Cup matchup this weekend

    Mumbai: Tennis Channel will have exclusive, live coverage of the Davis Cup World Group I Playoff between India and Pakistan 3-4 Feb. in Islamabad.  Matches will begin at 11 a.m. local time each day and can be seen throughout India on Samsung TV+.

    Tennis Channel analyst Prakash Amritraj will provide commentary during the competition, working beside announcer Geoffery Chizever.

    Amritraj competed for India’s Davis Cup team from 2003-2006 and again in 2008.  He contributed to India’s 3-2 defeat of Pakistan in a World Group I semifinal in April 2006.  Before his professional career, Amritraj was a star college player who won an NCAA national championship and tournament MVP honours with the University of Southern California in 2002.

    The winner of this weekend’s contest will advance to play a Davis Cup World Group I tie in September.  The losing side will play a World Group II tie at that time.

    “I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the Davis Cup rivalry between India and Pakistan again on Tennis Channel,” said Amritraj.  “I know from experience as a player and as a fan that the competition will be fierce and something for everyone to enjoy watching.”

    Introduced in 1900 and one of the oldest trophies in sports, Davis Cup is an annually contested “World Cup of Men’s Tennis.”  Each year the best players in the world represent their countries in a battle to determine the sport’s best men’s tennis nation.

    The Davis Cup playoff comes on the heels of tremendous success for Indian tennis at the Australian Open.  The country’s Rohan Bopana, at age 43, won the tournament’s doubles title and became not only the oldest major doubles champion ever but also the oldest World No. 1-ranked doubles player in men’s tennis history.

  • Sony Six gets set to redefine tennis viewership in the country

    Sony Six gets set to redefine tennis viewership in the country

    MUMBAI: Kabaddi, Football and now Tennis. India’s sports landscape is set to grow with the upcoming Champions Tennis League which will be telecast on Indian sports channel Sony Six. The league follows a pan-India city-based format and will take place from 17 November to 26 November 2014.

    Commenting on the development Sony Six business head Prasana Krishnan said, “The format for CTL is tailor made for television. The short structure of the matches will ensure that audiences are entertained and engaged throughout the course of the tournament. Also, with the entry of CTL, the viewership for tennis in our country should finally extend beyond the Grand Slams and select ATP and WTA tournaments.”

    The format of CTL lends itself to the taste of the Indian audience, who have been generally seen to enjoy watching fast-paced sports like the T20 cricket. Famous names like Mark Woodforde, Louise Pleming, Luke Jensen and Prakash Amritraj will be seen keeping the viewers engaged with thier witted and insightful commentry. The tournament will also feature after-match parties, fashion shows and interactions with the fans on the rest days; thereby acting as a ‘carnival of tennis’ for both fans and the general match-goers.

    With CTL now, Six will see an added sports property to its portfolio such as the NBA, the FIFA, the Pepsi IPL and the Ultimate Fighting Championship etc. The inaugural season of the league will also be held in cities like Pune and Chandigarh, which have traditionally not been the bastions for the sport in the country. Teams will feature male and female players with international rankings and each of the six teams will also have an international legend as their playing captain, apart from a noted Indian male tennis player, plus a top ranked junior Indian girl and boy from each city.