The world’s top tennis players will start their 2020 season Down Under in the inaugural ATP Cup to be broadcast on Nine, 9Gem and 9Now from Friday, January 3.
Signalling an exciting shift in team-format tennis, the brand-new competition will see the world’s best put their individual rivalries to one side as they compete for their country in the quest to triumph in the maiden ATP Cup.
Across three Australian cities, 24 national teams will lock horns in a round-robin contest before the winner-takes-all final in Sydney on Sunday, January 12. Among them will be the top 18 tennis-playing countries in the world.
The ATP Cup will feature nine of the Top 10 players in the ATP Rankings, including Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Rafael Nadal, while 26 of the Top 30 have committed to play in the new event.
Australia’s top-ranked player, Alex de Minaur (No. 18 in the world), will represent his country alongside Nick Kyrgios, John Millman, John Peers, Chris Guccione and captain Lleyton Hewitt.
Hewitt will be joined by a glittering lineup of past tennis champions, including former number ones Boris Becker (Germany), Marat Safin (Russia), Thomas Muster (Austria), along with British great Tim Henman (Great Britain) as team captains.
The 24 teams will be divided into six groups of four, with two groups assigned to each of the three host cities: Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
The final eight, who will meet in Sydney, will feature the six group winners and the two best-performing second-placed teams.
The tournament will be played at Brisbane’s Pat Rafter Arena, Perth’s RAC Arena and Sydney’s Ken Rosewall Arena, where the venue is undergoing a $50 million redevelopment.
Each tie comprises two best-of-three-sets singles matches and one doubles match played under the regular ATP Tour doubles format (including no advantage points and a match tie-break in lieu of a third set).
An undefeated singles player could earn up to 750 ATP Rankings points and an undefeated doubles player could earn up to 250 points. The total prize pool for the tournament is $22 million.
Australia will take on Germany on day one of the competition in Brisbane.
The ATP Cup will be hosted by James Bracey, Erin Molan and Cameron Williams.
ATP CUP LIVE ON NINE & 9GEM FRIDAY, JANUARY 3 – SUNDAY, JANUARY 12
