Djokovic open to future IPTL participation

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Novak Djokovic Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Day Seven 15112014

Djokovic completed his 2014 schedule on Saturday by helping UAE Royals to a 29-15 victory over champions Indian Aces, with a 6-0 thrashing of Gael Monfils in the final set of the concluding match.

The Serbian star particularly enjoyed competing in a team format, but maintained that he would not allow any future IPTL commitments to hinder his performances on the ATP Tour or threaten career longevity.

"The league gave me this opportunity to be next to legends of this sport and next to my fellow colleagues, and that allowed me to feel this team spirit that I usually don't have on the individual ATP events," said Djokovic, who counted former grand slam champions Goran Ivanisevic and Martina Hingis among his Royals team-mates.

"We do have our own teams and so this was a unique opportunity for me to have all of these colleagues from my team cheering me on while I'm playing from the bench. And I got to see two locations this year, maybe more next year who knows? 

"If Mahesh [Bhupathi, tournament organiser] wants me, I don't know we'll still haven't talked about that. But it's definitely a success. He's the brain and mastermind behind this idea. I remember when we spoke this time around a year-and-a-half ago and he presented me with this idea and I thought it was great. 

"I supported it all the way and I'm just really glad for him, we've been friends for many years while this has been happening and I'm glad for tennis as well because in this part of the world, tennis is still not where it can be I think popularity wise but this league helps our sport get bigger in this market."

He added: "Honestly, it all comes down to how I really feel and if it's the right choice for me or not. Obviously you have to take into consideration several elements that come into play. 

"Of course scheduling is number one. It doesn't really matter what the offer is, I always go through the schedule. I think that's something that gives me longevity in my career."

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Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK.