Tennis: Djokovic, Nadal to begin 2021 campaigns on Feb. 2

MELBOURNE -- Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal will start their 2021 seasons on Feb. 2 when they lead Serbia and Spain respectively in the team-based ATP Cup ahead of the Australian Open.

The top two men's players will be joined by world number three Dominic Thiem and Russian No. 4 Daniil Medvedev on the opening day of the tournament at Melbourne Park, which will also host the year's first Grand Slam from Feb. 8-21.

Reigning champions Serbia, led by Australian Open holder Djokovic, will begin their title defense against Canada on Rod Laver Arena and will also play Germany in the group stages.

Austrian Thiem, who lost to Djokovic in last year's final in Melbourne, will play the early session on the John Cain Arena against Italy.

World number two Nadal, part of the team that finished runners-up to Serbia, and ATP Finals winner Medvedev will highlight the evening sessions when they play against opponents from hosts Australia and Argentina.

The ATP Cup debuted last year with 24 teams and was held across three cities in Australia but there will be half the number of teams in this year's edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The start of this year's tournament has been pushed back by a day to allow more time to train for 72 players confined to their hotel rooms after some passengers on the three charter flights that brought them to Australia tested positive.

Russia are the only team with two top 10 players in their side in Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, while Argentina and Japan are led by No.9 Diego Schwartzman and Kei Nishikori, ranked 41st.

The winners from each group will advance to the semi-finals. 

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Ed Osmond)

-reuters-

Tennis: Sharapova slams 'second-hand' Brisbane event as men take over

BRISBANE -- Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova said the Brisbane International felt like "a second-hand event" with women relegated to outside courts to make way for men playing the inaugural ATP Cup.

The WTA tournament is being run alongside the Brisbane leg of the men's new team tournament, which has taken over centre court at the Queensland Tennis Centre.

Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens blasted organisers on Tuesday, accusing them of favouring the male players and not respecting women, with Sharapova also weighing in.

"You definitely recognise it and notice it," she said, with even Australian world number one Ashleigh Barty, who is his hugely popular in Brisbane, relegated to an outside court.

"It feels like a little bit of a second-hand event."


The ATP Cup's last round-robin matches in Brisbane are on Wednesday, meaning the women can only play on centre court from Thursday.

Under the ATP Cup's innovative tournament rules, on-court coaching is allowed and team zones are in the corners of the court, rather than on the sidelines by the umpire.

Sharapova, who crashed in the first round to American Jennifer Brady on Tuesday evening, suggested this could be a reason why women were not allowed to share centre court.

"It's definitely a bit of a strange strategic move," she said of favouring the men.

"I'm not sure (but) I heard that because the way that the court is constructed, that it's not regulation for us to be playing on centre court with the benches on the side.

"I don't know what else it might be that's preventing (us playing there), because I think there's a lot of girls that are deserving of that centre court spot in this draw.

"Everyone should have a conversation about it, that's just my outside view," she added.

Barty heads a high-quality field in Brisbane, which includes four of the women's top five.

Stephens, who is on the WTA players' council, said it was clear women had been sidelined.

"We just weren't in the conversation to even be considered," she said.

"It was what the ATP wanted -- they got what they wanted, girls to the side, that's kind of how it always is."

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Djokovic leads calls for ATP Cup, Davis Cup to merge

BRISBANE, Australia -- Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic said Thursday there was no point in having two men's team tennis competitions and suggested the new ATP Cup should merge with the Davis Cup.

The ATP Cup is about to kick off its inaugural edition, replacing a number of previous Australian Open warm-up tournaments with the new round-robin competition.

It comes six weeks after the revamped Davis Cup, which also has countries playing each other in a round-robin format, was held in Madrid.

Canadian Denis Shapovalov suggested earlier Thursday that the two events -- one run by the men's tour, the Association of Tennis Professionals, and the other by the International Tennis Federation -- should combine.

"It's a really similar event and it's literally back-to-back from the other one, so it's a little bit of a weird sensation coming from what felt like the world championships coming to play another world championship," Shapovalov said.

"So for me I don't see why they, the ATP and ITF can't combine, can't join, can't come to some agreement and make just one, really unique and special tournament for everyone."

When asked about the Canadian's comments, Djokovic, who is on the ATP players' council, agreed.

"We need to have one Super World Cup event, whatever you want to call it," he said.

"That's not going to happen next year as well. But if the two sides, the ITF, the Davis Cup, and the ATP get together very quickly, it can happen possibly for 2022. 

"I hope it will happen because it's kind of hard to get top players to commit to play both events, the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup. 

"And it's six weeks apart, so they're not really helping each other in terms of marketing, in terms of the value of the event."

Djokovic's concerns were shared by France's Nicolas Mahut, who said having two men's team competitions was "too much".

"Obviously, we don't need two competitions the same way. Two team competitions is too much," he said.

Djokovic does not normally play in Australian before the year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne, but he will use the ATP Cup to prepare for his attempt to win an eighth Australian Open crown.

"The Australian Open courts, Melbourne Park was always very suitable to my game, and I can't wait to go back there," he said.

"Obviously, that's probably my most successful court in my career, in my life, so I love playing there."

Djokovic's first match in the ATP Cup will be against South Africa's Kevin Anderson on Saturday.

Agence France-Presse

New tennis era kicks off with ATP Cup

SYDNEY, Australia -- Tennis' innovative new team championship kicks off the men's 2020 season on Friday, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among those looking for a winning start ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.

The ATP Cup will see 24 nations split into six groups across three Australian cities, with eight teams emerging from the round-robin to compete in a knockout phase until one country is left standing.

It is the sport's newest tournament and the third men's team event competing for the hearts and minds, and dollars, of fans, along with a revamped Davis Cup and the annual Laver Cup, which pits Europe against the World.

But it has already suffered setbacks, with major drawcard Roger Federer opting to give it a miss and Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori pulling out injured.

Despite this, world number two Djokovic said the move towards more team tennis was good for a sport best known for the individuality of its global superstars.

"More than 90 percent of the time, we're playing as individuals and we don't have too many team events," said the Serbian great, who also heads the ATP player council.

"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."

Sydney hosts the finals, along with group games, which are also held in Brisbane and Perth with US$15 million in prize money and up to 750 singles and 250 doubles ATP rankings points at stake.

Australian star Nick Kyrgios agrees with Djokovic, believing it will 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," he said.


- Looking to the future -

While Federer, Nishikori and Murray are missing, most of the world's top 30 men are playing.

The championship, from January 3-12, will feature two ties each day in the three cities during the round robin, comprising two singles matches then a doubles.

Belgium kick off the Sydney action against Moldova before Britain face Bulgaria.

Kyrgios spearheads local hopes for Australia in Brisbane against the Alexander Zverev-led Germany while Greece take on Canada in the same city.

First up in Perth will be the United States against Norway followed by Russia and Italy.

Djokovic makes his tournament debut in Brisbane for Serbia on day two, as does Spanish world number one Nadal in Perth.

Under the format, the second-ranked singles players from each country face each other first, then the top-ranked men ahead of a potentially decisive doubles.

A country winning two of three matches will claim the tie.

As well as the players, some big-name former stars are captaining their countries, including Boris Becker (Germany), Marat Safin (Russia), Tim Henman (Britain), Lleyton Hewitt (Australia), and Thomas Muster (Austria).

Previously the men's season kicked off with players spread across various smaller-scale tournaments, and outgoing ATP chairman Chris Kermode said it made far more sense to have everyone under one umbrella.

"The ATP Cup fits perfectly with our strategy to innovate and look towards the future," he said.

"The first week of the season is when the players want to play and that's why the tournament has their strong support."

Group A (Brisbane) - Serbia, France, South Africa, Chile

Group B (Perth) - Spain, Japan, Georgia, Uruguay

Group C (Sydney) - Bulgaria, Belgium, Great Britain, Moldova

Group D (Perth) - Russia, Italy, USA, Norway

Group E (Sydney) - Austria, Croatia, Argentina, Poland

Group F (Brisbane) - Germany, Greece, Canada, Australia

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Djokovic in Brisbane, Nadal in Perth as ATP Cup draw made

SYDNEY, Australia -- World number one Novak Djokovic will begin his 2020 season in Brisbane, Rafael Nadal in Perth and Roger Federer in Sydney after Monday's draw for the ATP Cup, the new world tennis team event.

The championship, which will take place from January 3-12 in the lead-up to the year's first Grand Slam, the Australian Open in Melbourne, will feature 24 nations split into six groups across Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Eight teams -- with up to five players each -- will emerge from the round-robin stage to compete in the knockout phase in Sydney until one is left standing

Most of the world's top 30 men will take part, with ties comprising two singles and one doubles match.

At the draw in Sydney, Djokovic's Serbia were pitted against France, South Africa, Germany, Greece, Canada and wildcard entry Australia in Brisbane.

Nadal's Spain will face Japan, Georgia, Russia, Italy and the United States in Perth while Federer's Switzerland take on Belgium, Austria, Croatia, Argentina and the Andy Murray-led Britain.

The final five nations in the ATP Cup standings, based on the ranking of their number one singles player, will be determined by the second entry deadline of November 13.

The new-look start to the year offers Aus$22 million ($15 million) in prize money and a maximum of 750 singles and 250 doubles ATP rankings points

It will be held on the back of a revamped Davis Cup, run by the International Tennis Federation, in November, bringing together 18 nations in one place for a week at the end of the 2019 season.

ATP Cup draw:

Group A (Brisbane) - Serbia, France, South Africa +1 TBC

Group B (Perth) - Spain, Japan, Georgia +1 TBC

Group C (Sydney) - Switzerland, Belgium, Britain +1 TBC

Group D (Perth) - Russia, Italy, USA +1 TBC

Group E (Sydney) Austria, Croatia, Argentina +1 TBC

Group F (Brisbane) - Germany, Greece, Canada, Australia

source: news.abs-cbn.com