Promising Indian doubles pairs granted wild cards for Aircel Chennai Open 2013 Vishnu Vardhan & Sanam Singh and N Sriram Balaji & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan to add strength to Indian contingent Chennai, December 28, 2012: The organisers of the Aircel Chennai Open 2013 today announced that India’s upcoming tennis players Vishnu Vardhan, Sanam Singh, N Sriram Balaji, and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan have been granted wild card entries into the doubles draw of the $430,000 tennis tournament to be held here from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013. The wild card entry into the tournament is a significant recognition of the talent the four players possess. Vishnu Vardhan, who will be joining forces with Sanam Singh, has played singles as well as doubles matches for India against New Zealand in the Davis Cup. He has also played in the London Olympics with Paes and paired up with Sania Mirza for the mixed doubles. 24-year-old Sanam Singh is a Davis Cup player and Gold Medallist in the Asian Games of 2012. His inclusion into the doubles draw comes on the back of 5 International Tennis Federation Futures titles in 2012. Vishnu receives financial support from the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) and together with Sanam the pair could be a strong doubles pair of the future for India. The Tamil Nadu duo of N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan receive support from TNTA and has improved their rankings substantially in 2012. If they continue to perform well, the pair could break into the top 200 in 2013. They also have the potential to become a top-25 doubles team. The organisers had announced earlier that the country’s top doubles specialist players, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, and Rohan Bopanna will be participating in the season-opener. With the inclusion of four more Indian players, the doubles section will see a strong contingent from the country battle for the title. Bhupathi will be teaming up with World No.5 doubles player Canada’s Daniel Nestor, while World No. 12 Bopanna will partner US-based Rajeev Ram, and World No. 3 Paes will take to the court with new partner Edouard Roger Vasselin of France. Mr. Karti P Chidambaram, Chairman – Tournament Organising Committee, Vice President – AITA & TNTA said: “Players such as Vishnu Vardhan, Sanam, Balaji and Nedunchezhiyan represent the future of Indian tennis. There is no doubt that they hold a lot of promise and the wild cards encourage them and recognise that fact. We are hopeful that they will do very well in the Aircel Chennai Open 2013 due to start on Monday” “We are glad that two doubles pairs from India have been granted wild card entries into the tournament. This will definitely be a huge opportunity for these youngsters and knowing that they hold promise we will not be surprised if they perform very well and even upset some of the veterans,” said tournament director Tom Annear. The field has an impressive line-up of 4 players from the top 20. Apart from the Czech Republic’s Berdych (No.6) who played a lead role in the recent Davis Cup final win, the grid includes Janko Tipsarevic (No.9), twice winner Marin Cilic (No.15) and Stanislas Wawrinka (No.17). ABOUT AIRCEL CHENNAI OPEN 2013 The USD 430,000 Aircel Chennai Open, owned by IMG and operated and organized by IMG Reliance, is India and South Asia’s only ATP World Tour event. Started in 1996, by IMG, a global leader in sports management and marketing, the tournament has completed sixteen successful years of existence, branding Chennai and India on the global tennis map thus creating a legacy of sorts of promoting international tennis in India. Winner of the prestigious ATP's Player Services Award of Excellence (2006) for its outstanding organization and wonderful hospitality towards the participants and ATP's Best Marketing Award (2008), the event has acquired the status of a much sought-after tennis event for both players and fans alike in the International tennis circuit. The 18th edition of the tournament will be held from December 31, 2012 to January 6, 2013 at the SDAT Tennis stadium in Nungambakkam, Chennai. The tournament is conducted in Chennai under the aegis of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and is organized with the active collaboration of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA). ABOUT IMG TENNIS For nearly four decades, IMG Tennis has led the industry in the areas of player representation, tournament management, tour marketing, television-related initiatives, and teaching academies. The company’s rich heritage in tennis dates back to 1968 with the signing of its first tennis client, Rod Laver, by Mark H. McCormack. IMG Tennis anticipates the trends, nurtures the talent, and maximizes the opportunities for players, organizations, corporate marketers, and fans of tennis. IMG represents many top players on both the WTA and ATP Tours, along with a bevy of future stars poised to make their mark on the professional game. IMG also prides itself on representing many of the legends of the game. IMG's roster of tennis clients includes Novak Djokovic, Bjorn Borg, Lindsay Davenport, Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, John McEnroe, Rafael Nadal, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova, and Venus Williams. ABOUT IMG RELIANCE In 2010 Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), India's largest and most recognized private sector company, and IMG Worldwide (IMG), the world’s leading sports marketing and management company, announced the formation of an equal joint venture to develop, market and manage sports and entertainment in India. The joint venture company, IMG Reliance Pvt. Ltd., will create and operate major sports and entertainment assets in the country. In its first initiative, IMG Reliance entered into an agreement with the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) to create a new professional basketball league and manage all aspects of the commercial rights to the game in India. IMG Reliance signed a 15-year agreement with the AIFF, to improve, popularize and promote the game of football throughout India, from the grassroots to the professional level. IMG Reliance has also created a scholarship program to identify and train talented young Indians from sports including - basketball, soccer and tennis–at IMG’s world-class sports training facilities at IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida. # # # For more information please contact ZZEBRA PUBLIC RELATIONS