The draw of the inaugural ATP Cup tournament which was unveiled on Sept. 16, 2019. (File photo from the official website of the tournament)
The ATP Cup is an annual 24-team competition featuring 15 million U.S dollars prize money and a maximum of 750 singles and 250 doubles ATP Rankings points.
SYDNEY, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The draw for Australia's new ATP Cup tournament has been finalized on Monday at the Sydney Opera House, with 27 of the world's top 30 men's tennis stars set to compete Down Under.
Held from January 3-12 next year and featuring teams from 24 countries and regions, six groups of four will battle it out across three Aussie cities ahead of the 2020 Australian Open.
Djokovic hits a return during the men's singles fourth round match against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland at the 2019 US Open tennis championships in New York, the United States, Sept. 1, 2019. Wawrinka advanced into quarterfinals as Djokovic retired. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
World number one Novak Djokovic and his Serbian side will begin their campaign in Brisbane, 2019 U.S. Open winner Rafael Nadal and his Spanish outfit will start off in Perth and 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer will lead the Swiss team in Sydney.
"This is an incredibly exciting time for tennis fans. We are thrilled with the amazing support the ATP Cup has attracted from the players," Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said.
The tournament offers 750 ATP rankings points along with a hefty prize purse of 15 million U.S. dollars.
Each matchup between teams will include two singles and one doubles contest.
"We're delighted to see such a star-studded player field lining up for the inaugural ATP Cup," ATP Executive Chairman and President Chris Kermode said.
"Having the top players competing in this new global event is critical, and the ATP Cup looks set to kick off the ATP Tour season in a big way in 2020." ■
