Nadal, Swiatek To Lead Countries At United Cup

A star-studded field has been named for the inaugural United Cup, an annual mixed team event set to be played in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from Thursday 29 December to Sunday 8 January 2023.

Entries from the top 16 countries have been announced today, with Team Greece, led by world No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas and [6] Maria Sakkari named as the top seeds.

World No.1 Iga Swiatek and [11] Hubert Hurkacz will lead No.2-seeded Poland, with third seeded United States featuring a wealth of talent, including world No.3 Jessica Pegula, ninth-ranked Taylor Fritz, world No.11 Madison Keys and the charismatic showman, world No.19 Frances Tiafoe.

The legendary Rafael Nadal will team up with world No.13 Paula Badosa to fly the flag for Spain, while emerging tennis powerhouse Italy will star world No.16 Matteo Berrettini and Martina Trevisan.

France rounds out the top six seeds, led by WTA Finals winner and world No.4 Caroline Garcia and Arthur Rinderknech.

Nick Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic and Alex de Minaur will don the green and gold to represent Australia. Other notable entries include Norway’s world No.4 Casper Ruud, Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Stan Wawrinka, along with Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. The top six WTA ranking-qualified countries, top five ATP ranking-qualified countries and the top five combined entry countries have been admitted to the competition.

The final two remaining countries (one ATP and one combined entry) will be admitted to the competition on Monday 21 November, based on the rankings published on this date.

P= Protected ranking, J= Junior ranking, *= Doubles ranking

“The playing group is very excited about the United Cup, and that’s confirmed in the high quality and calibre of those who’ve committed to the event. We are delighted with the depth and breadth of the teams, and we can look forward to many exciting match ups and lots of entertaining tennis,” United Cup Tournament Director Stephen Farrow said.

“The United Cup also marks the return of international tennis to Brisbane and Perth and we know the fans can’t wait to soak up all the action. All three cities will relish the opportunity to see the world’s best players unite and compete side by side as we launch the tennis season globally here in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.”

Steve Simon, WTA Chairman & CEO, said: “Having the world’s best women’s and men’s players competing alongside one another at the inaugural United Cup provides a unique platform for showcasing our commitment in working together to elevate our sport to new levels. It is a thrilling way to open what is sure to be an exciting 2023 and we look forward to watching our emerging and established stars showcase their talent in this unique format.”

Ross Hutchins, ATP Chief Tour Officer, said: “The stage is set for an incredible first edition of United Cup. This event is a big statement for our sport, bringing the best of men’s and women’s players together as teammates. Today’s draw highlights the compelling competition, matchups, and storylines our fans can look forward to as we kick off the 2023 season.”

The United Cup, an ATP-WTA event presented in partnership with Tennis Australia, offers USD $15 million in prize money and up to 500 Pepperstone ATP Rankings and 500 WTA Rankings points.

Brisbane, Perth and Sydney will each host two groups of three countries competing in a round-robin format from 29 December to 4 January. Each tie comprises two men’s and two women’s singles matches and one mixed doubles match.

The winners of each group will play off, with the city winners advancing to the United Cup Final Four in Sydney to be played from 6 to 8 January. The next best performing team from the group stages will complete the quartet.

Today the official draw will reveal the city where each team will play this summer. Watch the draw live from 2.00pm AEDT on the United Cup Facebook page.

Note: Player participation is subject to change.