"For me a big part of the decision came because in the countries where we'll play, people can't see players too often. It's a really nice opportunity to interact with them and try to play in cities I have never played in before," says the 26-year-old Croatian star.
Together with his world famous teammates Novak Djokovic, Eugenie Bouchard, Caroline Wozniacki, Goran Ivanisevic, Nenad Zimonjic, and Arab player Malek Jaziri, Cilic will be playing for the UAE 'Royals', visiting countries like India, the Philippines, Singapore and Dubai to play in the professional team tennis competition.
Describing what thrills him most about the League, Cilic said, "It is the different format of the game compared to what we are used to on the Tour. Also, team atmosphere is very different compared to when you play your individual tournaments. I believe the IPTL will also be interesting to follow and play because of the many great players playing. "
First time features such as time-outs, power points, shootouts, a running shot clock and exciting live in-game entertainment will be an essential part of all matches.
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Cilic feels matches will be extremely interesting, quicker, and different compared to what's seen during the year, bringing more excitement to the court.
Cilic thinks tennis fans in the UAE are in for a real treat.
"This team will be difficult to beat", he said confidently.
"It's a big pleasure to be on the same team with these big names of our sport. With Novak playing, Zimonjic in doubles, Goran for legends who is one of the best on the Legends Tour, Wozniacki and Bouchard, who are among the best in the world, Jaziri who is a very dangerous player, and I, hopefully we can win the IPTL this year and make our fans proud.