Few things are as flat-out thrilling as a seat at a world-class tennis match – the dizzying racquet skills, the psychological brinkmanship, the nail-biting suspense – not to mention proximity to some of the sporting world’s biggest and brightest stars. If watching that fuzzy green ball being walloped to and fro is one of your favourite things, then you’ll be keen to see the first installment of the ATP Cup.
This new men’s tournament, which partners with Tennis Australia, brings together top players from 24 countries to compete in a multi-city competition across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, with the finals playing out in the NSW capital. For a country to qualify and compete for the $22 million prize money, it must present at least two players that are ranked in singles and three with an ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) ranking. The winners will also give extra oomph, as there are a maximum of 750 singles and 250 doubles ATP Rankings points on the line.
A few of the mega tennis stars appearing on the bill include world number one men’s player, Rafael Nadal. Rafa will be repping Spain in the first rounds in Perth, and if he lives up to his 19 Grand Slam-winning reputation, may appear at the finals in Sydney. During the first rounds in Sydney, we’ll see Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov, who is the current world number three men’s player, and Britain’s champ, Andy Murray. World number two Novak Djokovic will round out the top-three worldwide men’s tennis stars with his first match in Brisbane.
The comp format is a bit of a numbers game, in a round-robin style. The 24 country teams will be divided into six groups of four teams, who’ll face off in singles and doubles matches. The winning teams then play knock-out rounds until a world champion is honourably crowned. Since it’s being organised by the ATP, this set-up has been created by the players themselves, so we’re sure we’ll see some top-quality tennis bouncing across the country. Outside of the Grand Slams, this is the biggest men’s tennis tournament in the world, so strap in for some epic forehands, precise volleys and sonic-speed serves.
It’ll all run from January 3-12, with the first serves flying simultaneously in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane from January 3-8, and the finals happening in Sydney from the 9th until the 11th. The Perth events will be going down at the state-of-the-art RAC Arena, which can fit up to 13,500 tennis fans in its futuristic space situated close to Yagan Square. It’s just a three-minute walk from the train station and free bus services.