With less than three weeks until the start of the 2020 season, the world’s best players are hard at work preparing for the inaugural ATP Cup, held in Australia from 3-12 January. Twenty-four countries will participate in round-robin action in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane from 3-8 January, with the Final Eight facing off in Sydney from 9-12 January.

ATPTour.com takes a look at the best quotes about the ATP Cup from your favourite players looking to lead their country to the title.

Novak Djokovic: “I like that it’s owned by the ATP, by the players, and that we have [ATP Rankings] points. It’s going to be the best way to kick off the season. Australia is a country… that nurtures tennis tradition. More than 90 per cent of the time, we’re playing as individuals and we don’t have too many team events. This is going to bring together a lot of nations and, for me personally, it will be a very nice and proud moment to represent my country. An event like this is truly going to make an impact.”

John Isner: “You’re playing for your country, which is the greatest honour you can have. It’s the perfect week for it as well, at the beginning of the year. Everybody wants to be in tip-top shape for the Australian Open and this event is going to allow us to do that.”

Kevin Anderson: “We’re really excited about the ATP Cup… Tennis Australia was very keen on this. They worked closely with us [and] it was in partnership with them… We’re going to have the best players in the world playing. We’re going to kick off our year with an amazing event.”

Karen Khachanov: “I think it will be great for all the players to start the season in Australia [and] to feel the conditions.”

Marin Cilic: “I think it’s going to be great for all the fans in the world, for media, for TV [and] for players.”

Kei Nishikori: “I think it’s good to have all the teams together and all the countries together. I think everybody enjoys [playing for] their country.”

Alex de Minaur: “Growing up, that’s always been my dream: to be able to represent the green and gold.”

Nick Kyrgios: “For a chance to play with the boys I grew up with, like Thanasi Kokkinakis and Jordan Thompson, it’s something I’m really looking forward to. And now to see Alex [de Minaur] do so well, it’s going to be an awesome event. I know everyone on the Tour wants to be with their teammates. There’s nothing better than playing for your country against the other best players in the world.”

Jamie Murray: “I’m excited about the ATP Cup. I think it’s going to be a great event for the ATP. It’s a players’ event. We’ve been on the [ATP Player] Council for the past three years, working to try to make it happen. It’s obviously come to fruition now. It’s a great way to kick off the year. It’s a great week for getting the top guys committed to playing the event because everyone wants to play at the start of the year in the lead up to the Australian Open. I think it’s going to be a huge success.”

Bruno Soares: “I think for the ATP and the players, it’s amazing to have this event in the beginning of the year. It’s a new concept. It’s great.”

Denis Shapovalov: “From the moment I picked up a racquet, I was always watching team events like this. I’ve always wanted to represent my country in a team environment. It’s a different kind of atmosphere and a different kind of competition.”

Daniel Evans: “It’s not hard to get up for matches in front of thousands of people. It gives you confidence being on court and I’ve always felt that when I’ve represented Great Britain, it’s a reward for the hard work I’ve put in and the matches I’ve won.”

Roger Federer had a lot to live up to entering this decade after what he accomplished in the 2000s. The Swiss at one point was World No. 1 for 237 straight weeks, finishing atop tennis’ mountain five times. However, it was clear that Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the rest of the players on the ATP Tour were only improving. So Federer, who began the 2010s aged 28, had to battle opponents as tough as ever, as well as Father Time.

But the Swiss overcame some uncertainty due to injury to prove why he is still one of the best players in the world year-in and year-out. He was not the dominant force that he was in the 2000s — he spent only 46 weeks at World No. 1 this decade — but the Swiss reminded the world that he is still Roger Federer.

Federer captured 42 tour-level titles during the 2010s, which alone would place him among the Top 20 in the Open Era. He lifted five Grand Slam trophies this decade, as well as 12 ATP Masters 1000 titles and two crowns at the Nitto ATP Finals. And later in the decade, when in theory Federer should have slowed down, he began to reel in Nadal in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.

However, perhaps Federer’s defining moment of the decade was a comeback from injury. After losing in the 2016 Australian Open semi-finals, Federer was drawing a bath for his kids when he hurt his knee in a freak accident, requiring arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus. Federer competed in just five tournaments for the rest of the season, ending his year after a five-set loss against Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon semi-finals to give himself time to fully recover.

That sent Federer’s ATP Ranking plummeting to No. 17 in January 2017. His previous low during the decade had been No. 8, making it uncharted territory when he arrived in Melbourne for the 2017 Australian Open. There were plenty of questions at the time surrounding Federer’s status. Only one player older than he was at the time (35) had won a Grand Slam title (Ken Rosewall, 37), and nobody his age had ever held World No. 1. But Federer was simply happy to have a chance to still compete.

Federer not only won that event, but he’d triumph at Wimbledon that year and claim his 20th Grand Slam title at the 2018 Australian Open. A month later, in February 2018, by making the Rotterdam semi-finals (he’d later win the tournament), Federer reclaimed World No. 1 for the first time in five years and 106 days. That is the record for longest gap between stints atop tennis’ mountain. It also made the Swiss the oldest World No. 1 since the ATP Rankings were created in 1973, breaking a 33-year-old Andre Agassi’s mark.

“I think reaching No. 1 is the ultimate achievement in our sport,” Federer said. “This one maybe means the most to me [of any achievement] throughout my career, getting to No. 1 and enjoying it right here at 36, almost 37 years old. [It] is an absolute dream come true, I can’t believe it.”

Federer’s decade also included a switch in racquets, increasing his stick’s head size from 90 to 97 square inches in 2014, allowing him to maintain his free-swinging style and reduce the number of mis-hits. Federer has continued to develop his one-handed backhand, going after it in big moments. While it was always a solid shot, Federer’s backhand has at times become an even bigger weapon.

That helped Federer improve in his legendary rivalry with Nadal. At the 2014 Australian Open, the Spaniard took a 23-10 lead in their series, but Federer restored pride by winning six of their seven matches since, including a string of four consecutive victories in straight sets. Nadal led Federer by a break in the fifth set of the 2017 Australian Open final, but the Swiss flipped the script on the Spaniard to triumph there, and he also defeated Nadal in the 2019 Wimbledon semi-finals.

Federer also did well against former World No. 1 Andy Murray this decade, going 10-5 against the Scot. He went just 14-21 against the surging Djokovic, but Federer still earned big-match wins against the Serbian, ending his 43-match winning streak in the 2011 Roland Garros semi-finals and defeating him in their two most recent meetings at the Nitto ATP Finals, including this year in round-robin play. That defeat cost Djokovic a chance at year-end No. 1.

At this year’s Wimbledon, just shy of his 38th birthday, Federer had two championship points to defeat Djokovic and claim his ninth trophy at SW19. So even though he fell short, the Swiss showed he is still going strong.

Federer tallied 104 wins against Top 10 opponents this decade, including 23 combined against Djokovic (14) and Nadal (9). The Swiss competed in the Nitto ATP Finals — which he won in 2010 and ‘11 — in every year but 2016 due to his knee injury, and his 42 trophies were more than anyone in the 2010s besides Djokovic (60) and Nadal (48).

David Foster Wallace once wrote an essay titled ‘Roger Federer as Religious Experience’, and Federer is still providing plenty of moments that fans won’t soon forget. So although he finishes the decade at 38, 10 years older than he started it, Federer is still among the sport’s best.

Leonardo Mayer ended his year on a high note by tying the knot with his longtime partner, Milagros Aventin. The couple wed in a beautiful ceremony this past Saturday in Buenos Aires.

A party followed afterwards in the prominent neighborhood of Puerto Madero. Several of Mayer’s friends on the ATP Tour attended the ceremony, including Juan Martin del Potro, Diego Schwartzman, Pablo Cuevas, Horacio Zeballos and Federico Delbonis.

The Argentine’s on-court highlights this season include a fourth-round finish at Roland Garros and a pair of tour-level quarter-finals in Umag and Auckland. Mayer also excelled in doubles by recording his best Grand Slam result with a semi-final finish at the Australian Open, in addition to a quarter-final showing at the US Open (both w/Sousa).

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPTour.com looks at the best #NextGenATP players from 2019.

Tsitsipas Completes Milan To London Transition
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas flew the #NextGenATP banner for much of the 2019 season. Tsitsipas won the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan, going a perfect 5-0 and beating Aussie Alex de Minaur in the final. Throughout the 2019 season, the two looked set to meet again in Milan as both had improved upon their 2018 breakout seasons.

But Tsitsipas had other plans and made good on his 2019 goal of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Just after he won the Milan title in November 2018, Tsitsipas had already shifted his focus to qualifying for the season finale at The O2.

Asked during the Milan trophy ceremony if he’d be coming back to Milan, Tsitsipas said, “I think it would be a good idea if the Nitto [ATP] Finals moved to Milan so I can play here.”

The Greek then finished the Milan to London transition, winning the Next Gen ATP Finals title in 2018 and lifting the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals trophy, the biggest title of his career.

“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Tsitsipas said. “Holding this trophy right now feels amazing… This tournament has been unbelievable guys, you made it so, so emotional. I have never received so much support in a stage like that, ever.”

Watch: Tsitsipas’ Journey From Milan To London

Aussie De Minaur Finishes Inside Top 20 At No. 18
Despite an injury-riddled season, De Minaur qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan for the second consecutive year. The 20-year-old Aussie more than backed up his breakout 2018 season, which saw him climb 177 spots (208 to 31) in the ATP Rankings.

In 2019, De Minaur won his first three ATP Tour titles in Sydney, Atlanta and Zhuhai and reached two finals, including his second at the ATP 500 level in Basel (l. to Federer).

“It’s been an unbelievable year and not one that I expected. I’m very happy with what I’ve been able to accomplish,” he said.

The 6′ Aussie, however, ran into a home favourite playing the best tennis of his young career at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Italy’s Sinner Impresses In Breakout Season
Jannik Sinner was No. 553 in the ATP Rankings at the start of the 2019 season. But the Italian introduced himself to the tennis world before Milan, winning two ATP Challenger Tour titles – Bergamo and Lexington – and becoming the youngest ATP Tour semi-finalist (Antwerp) since Borna Coric, 17, at 2014 Basel.

Sinner, who received a wild card into the 21-and-under event, had already cracked the Top 100 by the time he entered the Allianz Cloud, and he played more like a Top 20 player in front of his home fans. Sinner went 4-1 at the Next Gen ATP Finals and beat De Minaur to become the first Italian to win the event in its three-year history.

“The week has been unbelievable. The crowd… You can hear them now. I’m very happy… I wouldn’t be here without the wild card, so thanks to everyone. I hope to be back here next year,” Sinner said.

Watch: Sinner Wins #NextGenATP Crown In Milan

Shapovalov, Felix Lead #NextGenATP Canadian Charge
The 2019 season also saw Canadians Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime surge into the Top 25 of the ATP Rankings. Shapovalov reached the Miami Open presented by Itau semi-finals (l. to Federer) but endured a mid-season slump that saw him go 4-11 from mid-April through mid-August.

The left-hander, however, finished strong, winning his first ATP Tour title at the Intrum Stockholm Open in October and making his first Masters 1000 final at the Rolex Paris Masters (l. to Djokovic) in November. Shapovalov finished the year at a career-high No. 15 in the ATP Rankings.

Auger-Aliassime had one of the best first halves of the ATP Tour season. The teenager became the youngest ATP 500 finalist in series history (since 2009) at the Rio Open presented by Claro (l. to Djere) and later reached two more ATP Tour finals, in Lyon (l. to Paire) and Stuttgart (l. to Berrettini). In March, Auger-Aliassime, then 18, became the youngest Miami semi-finalist in the tournament’s 35-year history.

The Canadian struggled to replicate that form in the second half of the season, but he still finished at No. 21 in the year-end ATP Rankings.

Tiafoe, Other #NextGenATP Players Show Promise
American Frances Tiafoe reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open and his first Masters 1000 quarter-final in Miami. The 21-year-old also made his second consecutive appearance in Milan, falling in the semi-finals to De Minaur.

#NextGenATP breakout players, including Norway’s Casper Ruud, Sweden’s Mikael Ymer and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, showed flashes of their future potential all season and in Milan, where the trio made their debut at the 21-and-under event.