Australia’s young tennis guns are set to take on some of their counterparts in the inaugural $21 million ATP Cup in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney next January.
The top ten, and 27 of the top 30, male players have committed to the competition, which will be played in the three cities from January 3 in the lead-up to the Australian Open.
The 19 countries already qualified were each assigned to one of six groups across the three host cities at the official draw, presided over by Australian tennis greats Ken Rosewall, Pat Rafter, John Newcombe and Lleyton Hewitt at the Sydney Opera House on Monday.
Eight teams from the six-day group stage will advance to the knockout round, which will continue in Sydney until January 12, with every clash comprising of two singles and a doubles.
The draw placed Australia in the same group in Brisbane as Canada, Germany and Greece.
That means the likes of 24-year-old Nick Kyrgios and 20-year-old Australian compatriot Alex de Minaur, ranked 27th and 31st respectively, are set to trade shots with the likes of Germany’s Alexander Zverev (22, 6th) Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (21, 7th) and Canadians Felix Auger-Aiiassime (19, 21st) and Denis Shapovalov(20, 33rd).
“The top players of those four teams in that group is all the young superstars, that are that ‘next gen’ group coming through now,” Hewitt said.
“I think the conditions of Pat Rafter Arena suits both those boys (Kyrgios and de Minaur).”
Also playing in the Queensland capital will be world No.1 Novak Djokovic’s Serbia, who will face France, South Africa and a yet to be determined nation.
Sydney will host Roger Federer’s Switzerland in Group C with Belgium, Great Britain and another soon to be added country, as well as Group E which contains Austria, Croatia, Argentina and an as yet unknown fourth team.
Rafael Nadal’s Spain will play in Perth in Group B against Japan, Georgia and a yet to be named qualified nation while the Group D contingent of USA, Russia, Italy and a qualifier will also play in the west.
Switzerland, with Federer and fellow multiple grand slam winner Stanislas Wawrinka, loom as one of the favourites.
Five additional countries will also qualify to compete at the 24-team tournament, based on the ranking of their highest-ranked singles player to make up the other four-nation groups.