Rafael Nadal decided to prepare for his run at the Australian Open by playing the United Cup in Sydney. The Spanish sensation fell in the same group as Nick Kyrgios (Australia) and Cameron Norrie (Great Britain) so as to be certain to play at least the 2 competitive matches.
Rafa is expected to travel to Australia on Monday the 26th of December. The United Cup will commence on the 29th. It is not clear if his wife, Maria Fransisca Perello, and his newborn son will follow him.
Teams and players
18 teams will take place in the competition and they will be split into 6 groups of 3 nations each. The winners of the groups and the best 2 runner-ups will access the quarterfinals.
Perth
| Group A | Group F |
| Greece | France |
| Belgium | Croatia |
| Bulgaria | Argentina |
Brisbane
| Group B | Group E |
| Poland | Italy |
| Switzerland | Brazil |
| Kazakhstan | Norway |
Sydney
| Group C | Group D |
| United States | Spain |
| Germany | Australia |
| Czech Republic | Great Britain |
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Now the world no.2, Rafael played his last match on the 17th of November when he overcame world no.3 Casper Ruud 7-5 7-5 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This year Rafael has managed to achieve a compiled 39-8 match record. The Spaniard conquered 4 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, Australian Open, Acapulco and French Open. Nadal reached the final in Indian Wells.
Nadal has scheduled to compete next in Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start to play the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 16th of January.
Nick Kyrgios in 2022
Now the world no.22, the Australian played his last match on the 6th of October when he defeated world no.77 Kamil Majchrzak 3-6 6-2 6-2 in the 2nd round in Tokyo (draw).
This season Nick has managed to achieve a compiled 37-10 match record. This year, the Australian won 1 tournament in Washington. Nick got to the final in Wimbledon.
He is also scheduled to play in Australian Open (Australian Open) after Adelaide. The main draw will start on the 9th of January.
Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios fought against each other 9 times. The head to head is 6-3 for Nadal. Before, the last time they played, Rafael Nadal won 7-6(0) 5-7 6-4 in the quarter in Indian Wells (BNP Paribas Open) on the 17th of March 2022.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Cameron Norrie in 2022
WLLLLWWLWL Ranked no.14, Cameron played his last match on the 2nd of November when he lost to world no.51 Corentin Moutet 6-3 5-7 7-6(3) in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
This season Norrie has a 49-26 match record. Cameron has won 2 titles in 2022 in Delray Beach and Lyon. The Brit was the finalist in Acapulco and in Los Cabos.
