Returning to the scene of past successes can be daunting, but Team France’s Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet are feeling nothing but excitement as they return to Perth to spearhead Team France’s charge at the inaugural United Cup.

The pair was part of France’s Fed Cup-winning team in 2019, a victory that was clinched with final victory against Australia in the city in Western Australia.

“Yesterday when we had our first hit on centre court with Caroline, we had a little moment of emotion coming back on this court,” said Cornet of Perth’s RAC Arena, where Team France will take on Team Croatia and Team Argentina in Group F. “It was very powerful, this team experience, and this joy of winning… So I hope this lucky charm is going to act on this team, because we have a really good team to go far in the tournament.”

Captain Edouard Roger-Vasselin has a strong team at his disposal this week, when Top 50 ATP stars Arthur Rinderknech and Adrian Mannarino join Cornet and WTA World No. 4 Caroline Garcia as their team’s singles players. Garcia reached her maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open before lifting the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, and the 29-year-old is keen to showcase more of that form to help her team to success this week in Perth.

“I think with the format, every match and every game is important,” said Garcia. “If you cannot qualify as first one, it would be the second one, and so every match is very important for the team. But also as your personal goal, you want to keep improving, play the best you can when you’re on court.”

Another player who enjoyed the biggest win of his career last season was Borna Coric, who clinched his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The 26-year-old is the highest-ranked singles player on Team Croatia and believes the unique nature of the mixed-teams event, which will see 18 nations competing in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from 29 December to 8 January, is a motivating factor.

“I would like to see how the girls are going to be playing, how the men are going to be playing,” said Coric. “If we win, it’s going to be great… [The creation of this event] is very, very important. I’m sure we going to do great, that we going to have a very, very good time. I think that’s the most important as well.”

Like their Group F rivals Team France, Team Croatia possesses considerable strength-in-depth. Established WTA stars Petra Martic and Donna Vekic are both looking to build on strong showings in the 2022 season.

“You want to take the good times into the new season, build on that good feeling and good momentum,” said Martic, who lifted her second WTA Tour title in Lausanne in July. “I’m feeling pretty good. I think I was progressing last year from beginning until the end. I was playing better and better. I hope I can keep doing that in 2023.”

“I’m really happy to be in Perth, to be playing this event,” said former WTA No. 19 Vekic. “I think it’s a great start of the year. We have two matches guaranteed, and hopefully we can play a couple more. Hopefully I can continue in good form from last year.”

It is not just the United Cup experience that will be new for Team Argentina this week. Former WTA star and team captain Gisela Dulko admitted most of team had only recently met for the first time, but believes that could only improve their first United Cup experience.

“We don’t know each other since very long,” said Dulko. “So it’s going to be our first experience. We are happy we are going to have this time to know each other, to talk, to help each other. It’s going to be a good week for us.”

Team Argentina’s lead WTA singles player is Nadia Podoroska, while ATP No. 30 Francisco Cerundolo is the highest-ranked singles player in the group. Like many of his compatriots, Cerundolo admitted to being inspired by the exploits of Argentina’s men’s football team, which claimed World Cup victory in Qatar just 10 days ago.

“I think it was crazy the last 10 days and the whole month Argentina people went crazy when we started winning,” said Cerundolo. “Of course when we won the finals, the city, Buenos Aires, was unreal, people went nuts.

“Of course it inspires me, and I think the other guys, but I think it inspires the whole country, because football there, I think it’s everything. It was great, great news for the country, for us… Of course we can [also] bring the cup back home.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas is determined to “create some beautiful memories” at the inaugural United Cup.

The No.4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings is already achieving that goal, even before taking to the court for his first match.

Tsitsipas visited Perth’s picturesque Rottnest Island yesterday, where he played beach tennis and enjoyed local delicacies for lunch alongside team-mates Despina Papamichail and Valentini Grammatikopoulou.

^{_{Valentini Grammatikopoulou, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Despina Papamichail pose on the beach on Rottnest Island. Photo Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images.}}

The Team Greece members also captured selfies with quokkas, small animals that are unique to the island.

“I’ve loved coming back (to Rottnest Island),” said Tsitsipas, who had previously visited the popular Western Australia tourist destination in 2019.

“I had the opportunity four years ago and it has always occupied my mind. I’ve been thinking about how cool that experience was, getting to see the quokkas and take some photos with them.

“It’s good to connect tennis with nature and zone out a little bit before the competition starts. It’s been nice getting the opportunity to explore wildlife and see the beautiful sights of Western Australia that you don’t get to see when you’re competing on the tennis court.”

_{^{Team Greece walk along the beach at Parakeet Bay on Rottnest Island.}}

The United Cup, a mixed-team event consisting of 18 nations, begins tomorrow with round-robin matches in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.

Each United Cup tie comprises two men’s and two women’s singles matches, as well as one mixed doubles match, played across two days.

Four countries will advance to the knockout stage in Sydney, which runs from 6-8 January.

What To Watch On Day 1 At The United Cup

Team Greece, which also includes WTA World No.6 Maria Sakkari, are the tournament’s top seeds.

“It’s an exciting event,” Tsitsipas said. “For us, as Team Greece, I think is the best opportunity to show our best tennis. We have a great women’s team and at the same time, a great men’s team.”

Although Tsitsipas is confident that Team Greece can challenge for the United Cup title, he reiterated their immediate focus was on round-robin clashes with Bulgaria and Belgium in coming days.

“Over confidence can be an issue, in which case, we are extremely careful to stay humble,” he said.

“We have to be disciplined enough to show up and bring our best tennis every day. This is more of a marathon that we are heading towards and not a sprint. (But) we’re here for the long run.”

With the stage set, Team Australia is determined to deliver in front of its home fans in Sydney this week at the United Cup. The home nation, led by Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic, will play Team Great Britain and Team Spain in a stacked Group D.

“I think everyone is excited to kick off the year here in Sydney,” vice-captain Samantha Stosur said on Wednesday. “We’ve got amazing players on this team. Alex [de Minaur] is one of the best players in the world. [Jason] Kubler has had an incredible year as well, qualifying for a couple of slams.”

The World No. 24 De Minaur will compete as the men’s No. 1 singles player at the 18-country mixed-teams event for Australia and will face Cameron Norrie and Rafael Nadal in Sydney. The 23-year-old is excited to test himself against the world’s best at the start of the season in the city he grew up in.

“For me, it’s a great opportunity,” De Minaur said. “I’ve got two great matches. I’m playing Cameron Norrie and Nadal. It’s a great test for me. I’m excited to put myself out there. It’s going to be great to play on home ground, in front of friends and family, hopefully an electric atmosphere.”

Nadal enjoyed a record-breaking season last year, winning four tour-level titles, including Grand Slam trophies at the Australian Open and Roland Garros. The World No. 2, who will play his opening match on Saturday, is relishing the chance to join forces with his countrymen and women.

“It’s always different when you play [as a] team,” Nadal said. “We are used to playing Davis Cup or Fed Cup. It is nothing 100 per cent new, but at the same time , it’s the first time that we share forces between men and women. [It is] going to be exciting.

“I think we can create a good team atmosphere, and hopefully we can start well because we know we have a very tough group.”

Paula Badosa will compete alongside Nadal in Australia. She feels the connection and camaraderie Team Spain has created will help them taste success at the event.

“I think it’s very important to stick together when you play as a country,” Badosa said. “Making a good atmosphere. I think what we have in Spain is that we have very competitive players, fighters. I think we will show that from the beginning.”

Great Britain also plays in Group D, with Tim Henman captaining his nation. He believes the move to integrate the ATP and WTA Tours at the United Cup is hugely beneficial and important for the sport.

“I think it’s a massive attribute to our sport to have these combined events. There are so few sports that are able to do that,” Henman said. “I’m very much looking forward to it. I think we’ve got a great team.”

With Norrie the highest-ranked player in Great Britain’s team at No. 14 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Henman will look to the 27-year-old to help drive his nation to victory.

“It’s great playing as a team, playing for your country,” Norrie said. “Even if you come unstuck in your first match, you’ve got another match to play as well. You get to support some of the other teammates. I love the team events. I know everybody does. It’s kind of my first-ever combined event, so I’m looking forward to watching the girls play as well.”

Team USA has reason to feel confident on the eve of the United Cup. The Americans have sent a team to Sydney that sees No.11 Madison Keys and No.19 Frances Tiafoe as their No.2 singles players behind No.3 Jessica Pegula and No.9 Taylor Fritz. In fact, the Americans are the only team in the entire 18-team competition to boast a total of four Top 20 players.

“I think we have a great team,” Tiafoe told reporters on Media Day. “Hopefully we can win it. Hopefully Taylor, Jess and Madi can carry me. It’s easy to compete when it’s not about you.”

The United States is the top seed in Group C, which also features a Petra Kvitova-led Czech Republic, and Germany.

“I think it’s an interesting group, especially with the United States,” said Germany’s captain Mischa Zverev. “They have very strong male and female players who have performed well over the last months.

“I don’t want to say we’re not the favorites, because we have a very strong team, but I think it will be very important to use all our little tricks to win those games. I don’t want to say winning ugly is important, but in a team, you have to use everything you can to distract the other player, in a fair manner of course, but use your strength and win those ties.”

The Americans will open play on Day 1 against the Czech Republic. Coming off a short off-season after a run to the semifinals of the ATP Finals and representing the USA at Davis Cup, Fritz will take on 21-year-old Jiri Lehecka. Ranked No.84, Lehecka finished his 2022 season by making the final at the Next Gen Finals.

“It would have been nice to have more time to dive back into the new season but I’m ready to go,” Fritz said. “It’s always fun to start with a team competition. We have an extremely strong team.”

The WTA match will feature the second meeting between Keys and No.24 Marie Bouzkova. Australia has been fertile ground for Keys, who made her first major semifinal in Melbourne in 2015 and repeated the feat last January. She also picked up her last title in Adelaide a year ago.

“I lost to Madison here three years ago in Brisbane,” Bouzkova said. “It’s a hard match to start the season but I think it’s a great first test to get going here.”

Day 2 will see the WTA No.1s go head-to-head, as Pegula takes on Kvitova. Having finished her season with her first WTA 1000 title in Guadalajara and qualifying for the WTA Finals in singles and doubles, Pegula shook off any concern of a fatigue-hangover to start the season.

“It’s always a tough turnaround but I think the guys had even less time,” Pegula said. “For me, it felt like it was enough.

“A lot of us had to fly over Christmas and that’s not fun. But coming and starting the year with a team event it’s a different energy, maybe more relaxed, more of a fun atmosphere, a little less stressful.”

Team Bulgaria took some time out from their United Cup preparations to visit the stunning Cottesloe Beach in Perth Tuesday.

Led by top-ranked players Grigor Dimitrov and Viktoriya Tomova, the Bulgarian team greeted local surf life savers and got competitive with some beach games. “It’s fun when we can do some social activities, especially outside of the sport. I think everybody enjoyed it,” said former world No.3 Dimitrov. “The whole team is in good spirits. We’re trying to make the most of (our time in Perth) and looking forward to the competition.”

The United Cup, a mixed-team event consisting of 18 nations, begins on 29 December with round-robin matches in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney.Each United Cup tie comprises two men’s and two women’s singles matches, as well as one mixed doubles match, played across two days. Four countries then advance to the knockout stage in Sydney, which runs from 6-8 January.

Team Bulgaria begins its campaign against top seeds Greece at Perth’s RAC Arena on Thursday, with Dimitrov scheduled to face world No.4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening session. Dimitrov is looking to improve a 1-5 win-loss record against Tsitsipas.

Visit Bulgaria’s team page on unitedcup.com

“I think it’s a great match up. We’ve played a few times against each other and on quite a few occasions he got the best of me,” said Dimitrov. “But here is a different format and I have the team behind me, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Dimitrov, the playing captain for Team Bulgaria, is thrilled a mixed team event has been added to the tour schedule. “Everybody is excited. It’s a completely new format for everyone and it’s the first year, so we don’t know what to expect. But I’m very pleased we are able to team up together and make some new memories,” said the world No.28.

Tomova, the highest-ranked Bulgarian woman at world No.90, agrees. “I like it very much,” she said of the innovative new event. “Every week we play individually, so it’s great to team up with our Bulgarian team-mates and play for our country.”

The ATP Tour announced today a new partnership with PacificPine Sports (PPS) to create a range of world-class ATP-licensed tennis centres in China and Hong Kong.

The multi-year partnership, which begins in 2023, is an exciting opportunity for the ATP to engage with junior tennis players and young fans locally, expand opportunities in the sport, and for ATP Coach members to share their expert knowledge with players in a fast-growing region.

“We are thrilled to partner with PacificPine Sports to accelerate opportunities and share our expertise in Asia,” said Daniele Sano, ATP Tour Chief Business Officer. “This partnership will allow us to connect with aspiring players and passionate fans in an important market.”

The centres, which will be run by PPS, will offer members and local staff access to ATP Coaches, Alumni and Medical Services Team. PPS will have rights to use ATP Tour brand marks in promotional, advertising and marketing materials.

Daniele Sano, ATP Tour Chief Business Officer with Raymond Roessel, Founder & Co-CEO at PacificPine Sports Group.

The new partnership follows several successful collaborations between PPS and major global sports brands in the region, including the PGA of America and AC Milan. It builds on several decades of tennis development by ATP in the region.

“We are excited to work with the ATP Tour to bring world-class tennis experiences to China and Hong Kong,” said Raymond Roessel, Co-CEO of PPS. “We believe that this partnership will not only benefit our partner facilities, but also the ATP’s members and the wider tennis community and help continue to develop the sport in the region.”

About The ATP
As the global governing body of men’s professional tennis, the ATP’s mission is to serve tennis. We entertain a billion global fans, showcase the world’s greatest players at the most prestigious tournaments, and inspire the next generation of fans and players. From the United Cup in Australia, to Europe, the Americas and Asia, the stars of the game battle for titles and Pepperstone ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, and Grand Slams. All roads lead towards the Nitto ATP Finals, the prestigious season finale held in Turin, Italy. Featuring only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams, the tournament also sees the official crowning of the year-end ATP World No. 1, presented by Pepperstone, the ultimate achievement in tennis. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.

About PacificPine Sports
PacificPine Sports (PPS) is a leading sports training and management company in China. PPS has over 12,000 students, operates in 11 cities and offers classes and clinics at over 75 locations across China. PPS operates in four core sports verticals – Tennis in partnership with the ATP, – Golf in partnership with the PGA of America – Football in partnership with AC Milan and Basketball under Five-Star Basketball. PPS is headquartered in Shenzhen and Hong Kong with regional offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. For more information on our group and services, please visit www.pacificpinesports.com

With just two days to go until the inaugural edition of the United Cup, some of the competition’s biggest names hit the practice courts Tuesday seeking to find their rhythm ahead of their opening matches.

Nick Kyrgios was among the Team Australia stars hitting in Sydney. The 27-year-old will meet Team Great Britain’s Cameron Norrie in Thursday’s evening session on Ken Rosewall Arena in his first singles match in Group D. Kyrgios is part of a strong lineup for the host nation, which also features Ajla Tomljanovic and Alex de Minaur.

View Schedule

Also putting herself through her paces in Sydney was two-time Wimbledon champion and WTA star Petra Kvitova. The 29-time tour-level titlist is part of a Team Czech Republic which takes on third-seeded Team USA in its opening tie in Group C. Kvitova will be supported by fellow WTA star Marie Bouzkova, while the Czechs’ ATP contingent is led by clean-hitting 21-year-old Jiri Lehecka.

_{^{Petra Kvitova took to the practice court on Tuesday in Sydney. Photo Credit: Tennis Australia.}}

Some ATP and WTA stars took the chance to practise with teammates from the opposing Tour on Tuesday. One of them was the No. 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Hubert Hurkacz, who hit with his fellow Team Poland stars Magda Linette and Weronika Falkowsa in Brisbane.

The second-seeded Team Poland, which also features WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, takes on Team Kazakhstan in their opening Group B match across Saturday and Sunday.

_{^{Team Poland’s Weronika Falkowska and Hubert Hurkacz practised together on Tuesday in Brisbane. Photo Credit: Tennis Australia.}}

In Perth, Stefanos Tsitsipas enjoyed a practice session as he prepares to spearhead the top-seeded Team Greece’s title charge alongside the No. 6 in the WTA Rankings, Maria Sakkari. The current No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Tsitsipas faces Team Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in his opening singles battle at RAC Arena on Thursday. Sakkari’s opening match follows on Friday, when she meets Viktoriya Tomova in the Group A tie.

Meet The Countries Competing

^{_{Stefanos Tsitsipas practises on Tuesday in Perth. Photo Credit: Tennis Australia.}}

The United Cup will launch the 2023 season on both the ATP Tour and the WTA Tour, with 18 nations competing in six groups across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. Each tie will comprise of two ATP and two WTA singles matches, and one mixed doubles match.