Former world No.1 Novak Djokovic will make his Tie Break Tens debut alongside Nick Kyrgios at the venue of the Australian Open next month.
The two players are the first to be announced for the event, which is set to be the first of a series to take place throughout 2018. Tie Break Tens is a winner-takes-all quick-fire tournament with matches being the first to reach ten points. The overall winner of the event takes home a total of $250,000 in winnings. It was launched in 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Since then, it has also been played in Austria and Spain. This year’s event in Madrid was the first to feature women.
“Tie Break Tens is a great format and really suits my game style.” Said world No.21 Kyrgios.
“I am looking forward to having some fun with it and I reckon the crowds will really get into it. It will be the perfect chance for fans to see some high-quality tennis before the Australian Open starts.”
Djokovic, who is preparing to make a return from an elbow injury, and Kyrgios will fight it out on the Margaret Court Arena. One of the main courts at the Australian Open. Built in 1987, it has a capacity of approximately 7500 seats. It was named the Margaret Court Arena in 2003 to honour the 23-time grand slam champion.
“We’re absolutely thrilled that Tie Break Tens is coming to Melbourne,” Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said.
“The tie break format has generated a lot of interest and we look forward to seeing some very exciting matches. It’s fast, it’s flashy and heaps of fun for everyone. It will be a fantastic start to the 2018 tennis season and should certainly whet people’s appetites for high-calibre tennis before the Australian Open gets underway.”
The event will be one close to Kyrgios’ heart. His own foundation will be one of the charity partners. The NK Foundation aims to ‘increase access to, and provide sport facilities to underprivileged & disadvantaged youths.’ In a recent interview with Players Voice, Kyrgios said he was inspired to set up the initiative following a trip to a hospital in France.
“I can’t wait to get out on court and not only play some exciting tennis, but also raise awareness for the NK Foundation which I’m incredibly proud of,” he said.
Despite its short history, the event has already featured some of the biggest names in the sport. Andy Murray, Dominic Thiem, Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Maria Sharapova and Simona Halep are some of the players that have participated in recent years.
The inaugural Melbourne Tie Breaks Tens tournament will take place on January 10th, five days before the start of the Australian Open. Six players to are still to be announced for the event. Including at least one wild card for a lower ranked player to take on the big names in the sport.
