Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have all committed to playing the first edition of the ATP Cup in 2020.
The ‘Big Three’ will all take part in the inaugural edition as announced by the ATP last night as they look to compete with the new format of the Davis Cup.
Although Djokovic and Nadal are likely to compete at the Davis Cup Finals as well, the duo have decided that playing the ATP Cup would be perfect preparation for the Australian Open.
That isn’t the end of the big names though as Andy Murray will also compete in the ATP Cup, which starts on the 3rd-12th of January, after using his protected ranking.
The event will take place in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney with 19 of the 24 teams already announced for the new competition.
Speaking after the announcement ATP President Chris Kermode was delighted about having such a strong line-up for the first edition of the event, “We’re delighted to see such a star-studded player field lining up for the inaugural ATP Cup,” Kermode said to atptour.com.
“Our belief was that week one in the calendar, together with Tennis Australia, would work best for player scheduling, and today’s announcement is a confirmation of that. Having the top players competing in this new global event is critical.”
The remaining five teams will be announced on the 13th of November, based on where their top singles player is in the ATP rankings.
However the draw for the event will take place on Monday at the Sydney Opera House ahead of an exciting start to the ATP World Tour season.
Although there will still be much criticism about how the ATP Cup is now replacing the Hopman Cup on the calendar, the field definitely doesn’t lack the star power needed to create a successful event.
Here are the 19 nations confirmed for the 2020 ATP Cup:
1) Serbia – Novak Djokovic and Dusan Lajovic
2) Spain – Rafael Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut
3) Switzerland – Roger Federer and Henri Laaksonen
4) Russia – Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov
5) Austria – Dominic Thiem and Dennis Novak
6) Germany – Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff
7) Greece – Stefanos Tsitsipas and Michail Pervolarakis
8) Japan – Kei Nishikori and Yoshihito Nishioka
9) Italy – Fabio Fognini and Matteo Berrettini
10) France – Gael Monfils and Benoit Paire
11) Belgium – David Goffin and Steve Darcis
12) Croatia – Borna Coric and Marin Cilic
13) Argentina – Diego Schwartzman and Guido Pella
14) Georgia – Nikoloz Basilashvili and Aleksandre Metreveli
15) South Africa – Kevin Anderson and Lloyd Harris
16) USA – John Isner and Taylor Fritz
17) Canada – Felix Auger-Aliassime and Milos Raonic
18) Great Britain – Andy Murray and Kyle Edmund
WC) Australia – Nick Kyrgios and Alex De Minaur
