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. Countries were also placed into groups and assigned to host cities. following Thursday’s draw.
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.
ATP
3
448
866
159*
GREECE
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Michail Pervolarakis
Stefanos Sakellaridis
Petros Tsitsipas
WTA
6
156
200
249*
Maria Sakkari
Despina Papamichail
Valentini Grammatikopoulou
Sapfo Sakellaridi
11
82
244
P24*
POLAND
Hubert Hurkacz
Kamil Majchrzak
Daniel Michalski
Lukasz Kubot
1
49
249
34*
Iga Swiatek
Magda Linette
Weronika Falkowska
Alicja Rosolska
9
19
104
83*
USA
Taylor Fritz
Frances Tiafoe
Denis Kudla
Hunter Reese
3
11
118
16*
Jessica Pegula
Madison Keys
Alycia Parks
Desirae Krawczyk
2
13
39
31*
SPAIN
Rafael Nadal
Pablo Carreno Busta
Albert Ramos-Vinolas
David Vega Hernandez
13
72
206
Paula Badosa
Nuria Parrizas Diaz
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
16
23
176
113*
ITALY
Matteo Berrettini
Lorenzo Musetti
Andrea Vavassori
Marco Bortolotti
28
56
230
267
Martina Trevisan
Lucia Bronzetti
Camila Rosatello
Nuria Brancaccio
44
48
135
32*
FRANCE
Arthur Rinderknech
Adrian Mannarino
Manuel Guinard
Edouard Roger-Vasselin
4
36
125
103*
Caroline Garcia
Alize Cornet
Leolia Jeanjean
Jessika Ponchet
22
24
105
38*
AUSTRALIA
Nick Kyrgios
Alex de Minaur
Jason Kubler
John Peers
33
P142
177
113*
Ajla Tomljanovic
Zoe Hives
Maddison Inglis
Samantha Stosur
26
145
P386
CROATIA
Borna Coric
Borna Gojo
Matija Pecotic
39
69
187
194
Petra Martic
Donna Vekic
Tara Wurth
Petra Marcinko
P22
58
111
170
SWITZERLAND
Stan Wawrinka
Marc-Andrea Huesler
Dominic Stricker
Alexander Ritschard
12
35
152
186
Belinda Bencic
Jil Teichmann
Ylena In-Albon
Joanne Zuger
P2
59
80
107*
GERMANY
Alexander Zverev
Oscar Otte
Daniel Altmaier
Fabian Fallert
P57
61
145
144*
Laura Siegemund
Jule Niemeier
Anna-Lena Friedsam
Julia Lohoff
65
164
199
28*
BRAZIL
Thiago Monteiro
Felipe Meligeni Alves
Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida
Rafael Matos
15
114
199
55*
Beatriz Haddad Maia
Laura Pigossi
Carolina Alves
Luisa Stefani
53
138
191
162*
BELGIUM
David Goffin
Zizou Bergs
Kimmer Coppejans
Michael Geerts
29
54
239
30*
Elise Mertens
Alison Van Uytvanck
Magali Kempen
Kirsten Flipkens
74
117
206
207
CZECH REPUBLIC
Jiri Lehecka
Tomas Machac
Lukas Rosol
Dalibor Svrcina
16
26
309
Petra Kivitova
Marie Bouzkova
Jesika Maleckova
14
27
265
92*
GREAT BRITAIN
Cameron Norrie
Daniel Evans
Jan Choinski
Jonny O’Mara
98
121
376
J22
Harriet Dart
Katie Swan
Anna Brogan
Ella McDonald
25
30
68
37*
ARGENTINA
Diego Schwartzman
Francisco Cerundolo
Federico Coria
Andres Molteni
P39
161
184
Nadia Podoroska
Maria Carle
Paula Ormaechea
4
333
1264
NORWAY
Casper Ruud
Viktor Durasovic
Andreja Petrovic
375
394
759
Ulrikke Eikeri
Malene Helgo
Lilly Haseth
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.