TENNIS : ANDRE AGASSI SETS HIS PRIORITY, THANKSGIVING OVER IPTL

The eight-times grand slam champion was named in Sunday's player draft for the new Asia-based event but said he had since learned the first match would clash with the November holiday.

"It's a good thing to take tennis to places in the world where they want to see it. There's no downside in doing that," American Agassi told Reuters ahead of his World Tennis Day showdown with former arch-rival Pete Sampras in London later on Monday.

"My agreement to do it was based on a few very specific conditions. Certainly economics played a little part in it but also time away played another part.

"I can't be away for more than four or five days so I set some limitations and had some dates in December.

"Now I read in an email that the dates are over Thanksgiving," said the 43-year-old Agassi who is married to former women's world number one Steffi Graf and has two children.

"That would be a non-starter for me. Six or seven days away is too much of a price to pay."

The draft for the IPTL set up by Indian doubles specialist Mahesh Bhupathi saw the four teams - Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok and Mumbai - bid for players.

Agassi was selected for Singapore along with world number one Serena Williams and Czech Tomas Berdych.

"It's happened in the last 24 hours," he said,and "I've just been in talks with them and I'm excited to be a part of it. It's a big endeavour by the guys who are putting the whole thing together.

"It's not an easy thing to do though and we'll have to see how it all plays out in the next weeks. I'll get more details when I get home."

The IPTL is scheduled to begin in Singapore on Nov. 28, the day after Thanksgiving, and a week after the Davis Cup final.