Kia Motors has stepped in as sponsors of the eighth season of the Tennis Premier League. At the event which announced the association, Manifest caught up with former Indian tennis player Rohan Bopanna, to chat about the league, and more.

Edited excerpts:

As you step into season eight, do you see growth in the Tennis Premier League since its inception in 2018, and in its ability to attract sponsorships over time?

First and foremost, congratulations to Kunal Thakur and Mrunal Jain, the league co-founders, for doing such a fabulous job. The team working behind events like these is what actually makes a difference.

To be able to sustain in the market for a long period of time and look after the interests of not just Indian players but also the overseas players who are willing to participate in the league is commendable.

This is also why Kia has come on board as the title sponsor, which is great. Everybody knows that Kia has been involved with tennis for such a long time, especially for its association with the Australian Open.

Such a brand will not come into a league if they don’t think that there is value for them. 

What makes you align your personal beliefs with the brand values while choosing any brand endorsement?

The first thing is to like the brand and the people to work with because that specific association makes a massive difference, rather than being associated with any other brand out there.

Having had a longevity of playing tennis over the years and at the same time having a brand which has existed for a long time period is something I would like to be associated with, and I will be very proud of that.

The longevity aspect is what I look at the most while choosing any brand endorsement and building the association with companies.

How do you compare the media visibility and brand partnerships for a tennis player to those of a cricketer (especially in India)? Has that evolved over the years?

To make a comparison is not the right thing to do because that is where a lot of things are mistaken. The primary idea is that no matter where you are as a tennis player, you exist because you play the game of tennis.

Taking myself as an example here, I am not expected to do the other things because that is not my forte, and I haven’t learned everything around it. From a personal standpoint, to play a sport is what an athlete should look at without worrying about other things.

I picked up the tennis racquet wanting to learn tennis and be at the best level rather than worrying about social media or other things. Having the game of tennis going well is the priority for me.

How do you see the league competing with the likes of the PKL (Pro Kabaddi League, HIL(Hockey India League) and UTT (Ultimate Table Tennis) five years from now?

Again, the motive is not to compare different sporting leagues.

For tennis players, it is much tougher because they usually have an 11 month season of regular playing tournaments. Therefore, it is very tough for them to say yes to come and play the league even during their month off.

After travelling for about 30-35 weeks in a year and living out of a suitcase away from your home, it does get difficult for players to travel again and give their confirmation of participating in a league. This is what makes it challenging. Nevertheless, the Tennis Premier League has been doing a commendable job to  be able to sustain for such a long-time span.

With a record viewership for season season on both TV and OTT, how exciting is it to step into the new season?

It is very exciting because there already exists a set number of viewers who are interested in the league.

To add on, having a good brand associated with the league adds value, which automatically brings in a lot more people who are wanting to be a part of the league and watch the sport.

Do you consider the growing popularity of pickleball and padel as a threat or competition to tennis?

No, I do not think so because all the sports are pretty much a part of the ecosystem.

At the end of the day, India as a country is playing sports, and that is what is required. It doesn’t matter what sport is being played. Rather, we are waking up, playing and representing the sport we like, and all these things co-existing together is a good thing.