Karlovic to Mavericks’ rescue in IPTL

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Mavericks will try to cushion the impact of losing icon Serena Williams, Milos Raonic and Richard Gasquet by bringing in 6-11 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia to play in the last two legs of the five-leg International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) this season.

After Day 1 of the New Delhi leg last Thursday, the Indian Aces were safely on top of the standings with a win-loss rate of 57.38 percent on 136 games won and 101 lost. In second place were the Mavericks at 50 percent on 143 games won and 143 lost. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Royals were third with 49.64 percent, the Singapore Slammers fourth with 49.38 percent and the Japan Warriors fifth with 44.7 percent.

But after the Mavericks lost to Singapore, 30-22, in Day 2 last Friday, the Philippines tumbled down to fourth place with 48.8 percent on 165 games won and 173 lost. Singapore moved up to second with 50.8 percent.

India, bannered by icon Rafael Nadal, has pulled away from the pack and appears to be a cinch to finish the customized round-robin format in first place. The battle for second spot is critical because the top two finishers advance to play in the final in Singapore on Dec. 20.

The Mavericks enlisted 5-11 Somdev Devvarman of India as an insurance policy with the withdrawal of Raonic and Gasquet in the New Delhi leg. Raonic, Gasquet and Williams played for the Mavericks in the Kobe and Manila legs but will not be available the rest of the season. Roanic and Gasquet pulled out because of back problems while Williams was contracted to perform in only two legs. Icons like Williams, Nadal, Japan’s Maria Sharapova, UAE’s Roger Federer and Singapore’s Andy Murray are booked to play in two of the five legs – one on their team’s homecourt and the other is their choice.

Nadal didn’t play in Kobe but showed up in Manila, encouraged by Spanish legend Carlos Moya’s experience with the Mavericks at the Mall of Asia Arena last season. Moya now plays for Singapore. Federer skipped Kobe and Manila but went to New Delhi and will play in Dubai. Sharapova saw action in Japan and missed Manila and New Delhi. Murray hasn’t made an appearance so far, joining as a late replacement for Novak Djokovic.

Devvarman, 30, posted a 44-1 record with the University of Virginia tennis varsity in the 2008 NCAA season. He played in three straight NCAA Finals, winning twice. Devvarman struck gold in singles and doubles at the 2010 Asian Games and has played Davis Cup for India. He has teamed with Fil-Am Treat Huey in doubles of previous tournaments and is managed by IPTL founder Mahesh Bhupathi’s outfit Globosport. Devvarman was benched in the Philippines’ two matches in New Delhi.

Karlovic, 36, is known for his booming serve which has registered a speed of 251 kilometers an hour. He has compiled over 10,000 career aces and is now ranked World No. 23. In 2008, Karlovic was World No. 14. The 2009 Wimbledon quarterfinalist has six career singles titles, has earned $6.8 Million as a pro and wears a size 16 shoe. He’s the tallest player in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour.

Mavericks co-owner and Philippine Tennis Association president Jean Henri Lhuillier confirmed that Karlovic will play for the Philippines in Dubai on Dec. 14-16 and Singapore on Dec. 18-20. The Mavericks play UAE on Dec. 14 and India on Dec. 15 at the Aviation Club Tennis Center in Dubai then face Japan on Dec. 18 and UAE on Dec. 19 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Lhuillier, who sat on the Mavericks bench in the Manila leg, will rejoin the team in Dubai. “Ivo will definitely help at singles and doubles with his big serve,” said Lhuillier. “I expect the team to bounce back. I’m still not sure about Somdev’s status. It will be clearer when I get to Dubai. After Friday’s match, we’ll get a two-day break and this will be good for (legend) Mark (Philippoussis).”

Philippoussis, 39, was unbeatable in Manila as the Australian won his three singles sets over UAE’s Goran Ivanisevic, 6-2, Japan’s Thomas Enqvist, 6-2 and India’s Fabrice Santoro, 6-4. But in New Delhi, Santoro got back at Philippoussis and scored a convincing 6-1 decision.

In the New Delhi leg, the Philippines’ lineup consisted of only six players, including Devvarman. India walloped the Mavericks, 30-12, in the most lopsided outcome in IPTL history. Sonia Mirza and Rohan Bopanna got the Aces off to a hot start with a 6-2 thrashing of Huey and Ajla Tomljanovic. Agnieszka Radwanska made it two in a row for India by crushing Jarmila Gajdosova, 6-1. Santoro trounced Philippoussis before Nadal and Bopanna teamed up to beat Edouard Roger Vasselin and Huey, 6-4. Nadal ended the rout with a 6-4 disposal of Vasselin.

Against Singapore, Moya led off with a 6-4 win over Philippoussis. Dustin Brown and Karolina Pliskova then combined to repulse Huey and Gajdosova, 6-5. Belinda Bencic went on to trounce Tomljanovic, 6-3. Nick Kyrgios and Marcelo Melo took the men’s doubles by trimming Huey and Vasselin, 6-5 and Kyrgios capped it off with a 6-5 thriller over Vasselin. The Mavericks failed to win a single set in two ties in New Delhi.