It is the first time that the ATP Cup will be organized and it looks like it is already going to be a big hit.
The 2020 ATP Cup has been in the works since 2018. ATP director Chris Kermode announced the tennis association’s intent to organize a men’s team tournament in the Tour. Then called World Team Cup, the new competition caused the popular Hopman Cup to be taken off the ATP calendar for 2020.
While ATP officials deny this, the establishment of the tournament is considered a direct response to the controversial Davis Cup revamp. Led by the Spanish football player Gerard Pique, the changes were met with mixed reactions among tennis players. Icons Rod Laver and Roger Federer were especially vocal with their opposition to the reforms.
This year’s version of the ATP Cup is scheduled for January 03-12. A partnership between Tennis Australia and ATP, the tournament will be in Perth, Sydney, and Brisbane.
2020 ATP Cup countries
A total of 24 countries will be joining this year’s ATP Cup.
The 24 countries were chosen based on the ranking of its singles players. A country will be able to qualify for the tournament if it has at least three players listed in the ATP rankings. Two of these players must be in the singles ranking.
The first 18 of the qualifying countries were announced a week after the U.S. Open. The last six were then confirmed during the week of the ATP Finals.
Tennis team competition like no one has ever seen before
The organizers promise tennis fans that the 2020 ATP Cup will be revolutionizing how team tournaments are done in the sport.
One of the new innovations that will be introduced in the tournament is the Team Zones. These zones will be where the players’ support team will stay, replacing the traditional player benches located near the umpire chair. The teams will also be given access to strategy rooms, which will be helpful in debriefing and match analysis.
To enable a fairer assessment of its umpires, the tournament also has foot fault cameras. This will help settle any questionable game moments all throughout the competition.
In addition, the ATP Cup will be giving out the largest prize money in all of the ATP events. A total of $15 million, which already includes wins and participation prize for the victors, is up for grabs.
How the ATP Cup will play out
As the first team tournament in the ATP Tour since 2012, the ATP Cup will offer a format that is a bit similar to that of the Davis Cup.
The team will be separated into six groups, with an equal number of four teams each. The teams will then face off each other in two singles and one doubles games. The doubles game will serve as the tie-breaker, depending on the result of the no. 2 of each team.
The group winners and the two second-best placers will face each other for three knock-out rounds. The champion will be determined based on that.
Who are the players participating in the tournament?
The inaugural ATP Cup will be filled with a who’s who of the tennis world’s best players.
Team Spain, which won the Davis Cup a little more than a month ago, will be coming in as a favorite. Led by world no. 1 Rafael Nadal, expectations for the team will be high.
The Russian delegation will also be a team to watch for. With two world top 20 players in Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev, they will be a threat to the dominance of Spain.
Other favorites for the title are Germany, Serbia, United States, Austria, Canada, and Greece. Too bad Switzerland and Roger Federer pulled out of participating in the tournament.
