The ATP Cup is now defunct men's team competition, which took place at the start of a new season in Australia.
Last Date: | 1 - 9 January 2022 |
Category: | ATP Cup |
Surface: | Hard |
Location: | Sydney, Australia |
Venue: | Ken Rosewall Arena, Sydney Super Dome |
Players: | 16 countries (5 players per country) |
Prize Money: | $10,000,000 |
Points: | Special distribution |
The ATP Cup was a men’s team hard-court event that took place between 2020 and 2022. It was replaced on the ATP schedule by the United Cup in 2023. The ATP Cup was held just before the first Grand Slam of the season, the Australian Open.
As a result, several Australian venues hosted the tournament, including Pat Rafter Arena, Melbourne Park, and Perth Arena. As a team competition, the ATP Cup entries were determined by a player’s official ATP ranking after the end of the US Open.
Each nation required at least two players included in the official rankings to enter the competition. During the competition, each seeded player would participate in a singles match and then joint doubles. A group stage determined the first round of winners.
The 24 competing teams played in six groups of four teams. Then, the winners of each group and the two best runners-up progressed to the quarter-finals. Teams from Serbia, Russia, and Canada were victorious in the ATP Cup before it transitioned into the United Cup.
The change from the ATP Cup to the United Cup saw several major competition changes. Most notably, the competition became a mixed event in 2023 as the top two male and two female ranked players represented their nation.
A mixed doubles team is also formed from the best female and male doubles players, and a team captain leads the nation. In addition, the tournament was reduced from 24 teams to 18, and six groups of three competing teams provided the first phase of the competition.
Then, the six group winners and two best runners-up compete in the quarter-finals. The knockout stages then continue until the eventual winner is crowned. The first-ever United Cup saw the United States team win. In 2024, Team Germany won the tournament.