Tennis stars, some injured, talk up their IPTL participation

The tennis elite in both the men's and women's games will soon descend on Southeast Asia for the series of exhibitions that is the International Premier Tennis League. It's a well-compensated array of dates featuring a lot of the best-heeled ATP and WTA pros.

We're not talking Top 20 to 50 players either. This is Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, and more. Those pros and more took part in the IPTL's inaugural season late last year, and despite nursing bruised egos and bodies from their grueling 2015 campaigns on tour, they've found a way to persevere to give the people what they want from Singapore to India.

The end game is what matters most to these beacons of the sport, whether they're feeling well late this season or relatively limping around. They all remain independent contractors in their chosen vocation. "This is no regular game of tennis," Sharapova says as the IPTL's new one-minute promo kicks off. Some of the line deliveries that follow seemed a bit insincere, a bit "Why am I doing this?" Indeed, must be the money.

Follow Jon on Twitter @jonscott9. News tips gladly accepted. Serving tips kindly refused.