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Fritz & Gauff to represent USA in United Cup; Zverev, Felix join field

  • Posted: Oct 11, 2024

World No.4 Coco Gauff will make her United Cup debut for Team USA alongside world No.7 and US Open finalist Taylor Fritz at the innovative mixed team event in 2025.

Twenty-year-old Gauff, who was the flag bearer for the United States at the Olympic Games in Paris, thrives in a team environment.

“This will be my first time playing the United Cup so I’m super excited to kick off the year in Australia,” Gauff said. “It’s always an honour to represent my country.”

“It’s a really, cool event. I had a lot of fun playing mixed doubles at the Olympics so I kinda want to do that again.

“I’ve never been to other parts of Australia, other than Melbourne. I don’t know what city we’re going to play in yet but I’m super excited to go whether it’s Perth or Sydney.”

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World No.3 Alexander Zverev, who helped guide Team Germany to a memorable comeback win over Poland to secure the second edition of the United Cup, used the event to set up a stellar season, including deep runs at the Grand Slams and the Roland Garros final.

The 27-year-old, who holds 22 ATP singles titles, is looking forward to making his third appearance at the tournament.

“It’s the first week of the year… and we all want to be in Australia and play against the best players in the world and that’s what the United Cup brings,” Zverev said.

“Playing for your nation is obviously extremely special and I have the best memories from this year.”

The unique team environment United Cup offers is also a big motivation for Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime who are set to line up for Team Canada again in 2025.

“I want to play United Cup 2025 because it’s such a fun team experience,” said Fernandez, a US Open finalist in 2021.

“I love being part of a team… I get to see a little bit more of the men’s side of the team and also how they think on court, I get to pick their brains a little bit.

“I also think the interaction between all of us [is special], we grew up together so it’s good to have that moment to catch up.”

Auger-Aliassime agrees, “It’s a great way to start the year,” he said.

“I’ve had great success [playing for my country] and mixing up with Leylah, is always good. I love her energy, I love her game so it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“It’s honestly my favourite thing, some of my favourite weeks on tour [playing as part of a team].”

Greece’s (12) Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, China’s (7) Zheng Qinwen and Norway’s (9) Casper Ruud committed to the third edition of the tournament in September.

From Friday 27 December to Sunday 5 January, 18 countries, featuring up to three men and up to three women, will compete across Perth and Sydney.

United Cup Tournament Director Stephen Farrow is delighted to have five more players commit to the tournament early.

“We are so pleased to see Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff line up for Team USA for the first time alongside US Open finalist Taylor Fritz,” Farrow said.

“Germany’s world No.3 Alexander Zverev, the two-time Grand Slam finalist and Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, always brings the energy to the United Cup and no doubt the defending champions will be raring to go for the first week of the new year.

“We are also excited to welcome Leylah Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime back to the event in 2025. The Canadian fans turned out in droves earlier this year and we look forward to seeing them in their country colours again to support the team’s next campaign.”

Participation for the first 16 teams in the United Cup is subject to players committing by the tournament’s entry deadline of 16 October. The remaining two teams will be decided after the second qualification date of 19 November.

The official draw will be held on 21 October and will determine where each country will play the group stage. 

Ten countries will qualify for the United Cup via the five highest-ranked men and five highest-ranked women entered based on their PIF ATP and WTA rankings.

Eight teams will qualify according to the best combined ranking of the highest-ranked men’s and women’s players from the same country.

Tickets

•  Tickets for the United Cup quarterfinals in Perth are on sale via Ticketek

•  Tickets for the United Cup quarterfinals, semifinals and final in Sydney are on sale via Ticketmaster

•  Tickets to the United Cup group stages go on sale Tuesday 22 October at 5:00 p.m. local time in Sydney and Perth

Visit the tournament tickets page to buy your tickets.

Follow @UnitedCupTennis on social media for the latest tournament news.

 

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Nadal announces end of storied career

  • Posted: Oct 10, 2024

Rafael Nadal announced his upcoming retirement Thursday, stating that next month’s Davis Cup Finals will be his final event.

“Hello everyone, I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis,” said Nadal in Spanish in a video posted on social media. “The reality is it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations.

“It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make, but in this life, everything has a beginning and an end, and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”

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The Spanish icon held World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for 209 weeks, sixth-most since the rankings’ inception in 1973. Nadal earned ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours five times.

ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said: “Rafa’s impact on tennis is immeasurable. For over two decades, he brought unmatched tenacity and grit to every match. His fierce competitive spirit and iconic rivalries during one of the sport’s greatest eras captivated fans around the world. He elevated the game and inspired millions to pick up a racquet.

“Rafa’s achievements are nothing short of historic — he won it all. His record at Roland-Garros, in particular, will likely never be eclipsed. But what stands out most is his character. Humble, authentic, and always gracious, he earned the deep respect of players, fans, and everyone involved in tennis. His multiple sportsmanship awards reflect the class he has shown throughout his career, on and off the court.

Nadal was a member of the ATP Player Advisory Council from 2010-12 and 2019-22. The Spaniard has impacted countless lives through his Rafa Nadal Foundation, which received the Laureus Sport For Good Award this year.

Gaudenzi added: “Rafa’s contributions extended beyond the court as well. His work on the ATP Player Advisory Council for many years has helped serve the sport and its future. As we look forward to his farewell at the Davis Cup, we know his legacy will live on for generations. Rafa, thank you for everything — you will be greatly missed on Tour.”

The 38-year-old was the first men’s player in history to complete the career Grand Slam twice and won 22 major championships overall, only trailing Novak Djokovic (24). The Spaniard earned two Australian Open crowns, 14 Roland-Garros trophies, two Wimbledon titles and four US Open victories.

His 14 Coupe des Mousquetaires alone give him more major titles than all but three other men (Djokovic, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras) in history. The Spaniard tallied a 112-4 record at the clay-court major, one of the most dominant efforts in all of sport.

Nadal owns many records, including most clay-court titles in the Open Era (63). He captured an ATP Tour title in 19 consecutive seasons from 2004-22 and maintained a Top 10 PIF ATP Ranking for 912 straight weeks from 25 April 2005 through 19 March 2023.

The 92-time titlist has earned 1,080 tour-level wins during his illustrious career, the fourth-most victories on record behind only Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,251) and Djokovic (1,122).

The Mallorcan qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals 17 times, earning his place at the season finale every year from 2005 through 2020, as well as in 2022.

The lefty excelled at ATP Masters 1000 events, claiming 36 titles at the elite level. His 410 Masters 1000 wins are the most in the series’ history (since 1990).

Nadal is the winner of 15 ATP Tour Awards: ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF (2008, ‘10, ‘13, ‘17, ‘19), the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award (2011), Comeback Player of the Year (2013), the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship (2010, ‘18-21), Most Improved Player of the Year (2005), Newcomer of the Year (2003) and Fans’ Favourite (2022). He is also a two-time Laureus World Sportsman of the Year (2011 and 2021). The lefty claimed Laureus’ World Breakthrough of the Year in 2006 and Comeback of the Year in 2014.

He won two Olympic gold medals, earning singles glory in Beijing in 2008 and doubles gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 with Marc Lopez.

The Spaniard climbed to the top of the sport for the first time aged 22, reaching World No. 1 on 18 August 2008. He once held top spot for 56 consecutive weeks (7 June 2010-3 July 2011) and was most recently World No. 1 in February 2020.

“Really, everything I have experienced has been a dream come true,” Nadal said. “I leave with the absolute peace of mind of having given my best, of having made an effort in every way. I can only end by saying a thousand thanks to all and see you soon.”

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Djokovic shares Nadal's 'greatest achievement' in social media tribute

  • Posted: Oct 10, 2024

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have battled fiercely on the tennis court for nearly two decades, yet their rivalry transcends mere competition. There is a deep mutual respect between the two legends, a sentiment Djokovic captured perfectly in a social media tribute to Nadal, who on Thursday announced that he will retire in November.

“One post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport,” Djokovic wrote. “You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit is going to be taught for decades.”

Both former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Rankings, Djokovic and Nadal have contested countless epic showdowns, often lasting hours and testing the physical limits and mental endurance of both players. Djokovic and Nadal have met a record 60 times, with the Serbian holding a 31-29 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

It is one of the greatest rivalries not only in tennis, but in sports.

“Your legacy will live forever,” Djokovic added. “Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry that has impacted me the most as a player.”

The 38-year-old Nadal will compete in his final professional event at the Davis Cup Finals, to be held in Malaga, Spain from 19-24 November.

“Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable,” Djokovic said. “I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Davis Cup team of Spain. I will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career.”

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Alcaraz on Machac loss: 'I felt like I was playing a Top-5 player'

  • Posted: Oct 10, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz admits to have had no response to the blistering tennis thrown at him Thursday by Tomas Machac, who upset the World No. 2 in the quarter-finals of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Alcaraz’s 12-match winning streak came to an abrupt end in a 7-6(5), 7-5 defeat at the hands of Machac, who claimed his second win over a Top-5 player (Djokovic, Geneva SF). It was a winning streak that included the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash at the Davis Cup last month, in which Machac was forced to retire at one set apiece.

As he did when representing Czechia, Machac took the opening set in a tie-break in Shanghai, but the 23-year-old made no mistake of closing it out in straight sets, exuding extreme confidence throughout.

“I felt like I was playing against a Top-5 player,” said Alcaraz, who suffered his first defeat since his second-round exit at the US Open. “Not even Top 10, no, Top 5. His level was so high. I thought that he was going to give me an opportunity, a window, but he didn’t.

“From the first game until the last one, his level was so high. His ball speed, it was unbelievable. Honestly, I felt good on the court, I felt the ball really well, I was hitting well, I was moving well. But, at some points, I didn’t know what to do.”

Alcaraz showed signs of a second-set fightback after he had retrieved the break back, but Machac kept his foot on the gas to dismantle the Spaniard’s serve for a second time before serving out the victory with ease.

“It was unbelievable, it was crazy for me,” added Alcaraz. “He was pushing me to the limit all the time that I was thinking that I had to put the right ball in the right place all the time. If not, I was going to run everywhere, or he was going to make a winner. So I think that the pressure he put [on] me was the key in the match.”

Alcaraz, who has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, is next scheduled to play the Rolex Paris Masters after slipping to 51-10 on the season.

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