‘ATP Cup’, the new team event for 2010 season
The ATP and Tennis Australia officially presented the ATP Cup, a new team competition to kickstart the men’s tennis season from 2020.
The new tournament, was announced during the Nitto ATP Finals in London, it will be played across three Australian cities over ten days in the lead up to the Australian Open and will feature teams from 24 countries.
The event sees the return of an ATP team competition into the calendar for the first time since the ATP World Team Cup, which was held in Dusseldorf from 1978-2012.
This tournament represents the initiative by ATP to innovate in the sport, it will ensure every season starts with an event with global profile. The 2020 ATP Cup will offer US$15 million in prize money and up to 750 ATP Rankings points to the winner.
“This new event fits perfectly with our strategy to innovate and look towards the future. We know from our extensive discussions with the players that the ATP Cup will provide a great way for them to open their season – bringing together the world’s best for a major team event that compliments existing scheduling, provides highly-coveted ATP ranking points and clearly links to the Australian Open. The first week of the season is when the players want to play and that’s why the tournament has their strong support. By staging the event with Tennis Australia, which is renowned for its experience as an outstanding event promoter, we know that the tournament will be a great success from year one” , stated Kermode, ATP Tour president.
Tennis Australia CEO, Craig Tiley stated: “This is an amazing opportunity, in close collaboration with the players and the tour, to deliver a globally impactful event that further elevates the sport and the fan interest in it”.
“We want to keep growing tennis, give the players an environment where they can perform to the best of their abilities and then ensure they are appropriately appreciated and rewarded. This event will help us all achieve that while connecting with new generations of tennis fans. It will provide a new source of inspiration for young athletes to choose our sport”, added Tiley.
The introduction of the tournament, during the first week of the year means that some of the events will be rearranged. Doha will remain the same to offer the players who won’t be at the ATP cup, the opportunity to earn ATP points. Pune´s tournament will be rescheduled one week after The Australian Open.
World No. 1 and President of the ATP Player Council Novak Djokovic was among the players who joined ATP Executive Chairman & President Chris Kermode and Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia, to reveal the details of the competition.
Djokovic, who finished 2018 as No.1 for a fifth time, stated: “I like that it’s owned by ATP, by the players, and that we have ranking points, and it’s going to be the best way to kick start the season. Australia is a country that has a Grand Slam, that nurtures tennis tradition. More than 90 per cent of the time we’re playing as individuals and we don’t have too many team events. This is going to bring together a lot of nations and for me personally it will be a very nice and proud moment to represent my country.”