The United Cup
The United Cup is a global mixed-team event which will launch the 2023 tennis season and is to be held annually. This event is a joint initiative by the ATP and WTA in partnership with Tennis Australia.
Mixed teams from 18 countries will compete in three Australian cities – Brisbane, Perth and Sydney – over 11 days. Each team will consist of four men and four women. The competition offers a substantial prize pool of $15 million and 500 ATP points and 500 WTA points.
Brisbane, Perth and Sydney will each host two groups from three countries competing in a round-robin format from Thursday 29 December to Sunday 4 January 2023. Entry cut-off date is 7 November 2022.
Tournament Structure and Finals
Each tie consists of two men’s and two women’s singles matches and one mixed doubles match. Furthermore, the winners of each group will compete in a playoff, and the winners from each city will advance to the Final Four of the United Cup in Sydney, which will take place from 6th to 8th January.
The next best-performing team from the group stage will complete the quartet. Like the Hopman Cup, which ran from 1989 to 2019 in Perth, the United Cup is also a team event.
Distinctions from the Hopman Cup
However, the new event also offers ranking points, which the Hopman Cup did not. Additionally, it includes up to four men and women from the same country, whereas the Hopman Cup was for teams of two players each. Moreover, the United Cup is officially part of the ATP and WTA Tour.
The first 12 countries will qualify for the United Cup via the six highest-ranked men and six highest-ranked women entered based on their ATP and WTA Tour rankings.
The remaining six teams will qualify according to the best-combined ranking of the highest-ranked men’s and women’s players from the same country.
Australia is guaranteed entry, either directly through ranking or as tournament hosts with a wildcard. Additionally, there will be six groups of three countries in total, with two groups per city.
Each city will host the Finals, with the three winners advancing to the semi-finals, along with the losing host city finalist that has the best record from its three matches.
Matches will take place during both day and evening sessions. Daily sessions will comprise men’s and women’s singles – night sessions will feature men’s and women’s singles and a mixed doubles.
Tennis Australia CEO, Craig Tiley, sees the United Cup as a groundbreaking opportunity. A way to unite men’s and women’s tours in an unprecedented manner. Additionally, in Australia, we can unite top male and female players to compete and represent their countries at the top level. We couldn’t be more delighted to see how this event unfolds in January across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney”.
Key Dates
The United Cup will take place in Australia from Thursday 29 December to Sunday 8 January 2023. The entry cut-off date is Monday 7 November 2022. Thursday, 10th November is the scheduled date for the United Cup draw, which will determine the playing locations for the top 16 countries.
The week commencing 21st November will determine the last two teams. Brisbane, Perth, and Sydney will host the group stage from December 29 to January 4, 2023.
Update: The 18 countries are now confirmed for the first edition of the United Cup.
A brand-new annual mixed team event taking place across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from Thursday 29 December to Sunday 8 January 2023.
Bulgaria will join Greece and Belgium in Group A in Perth. Kazakhstan will join Poland and Switzerland in Group B in Brisbane. A blockbuster opening session in Perth will feature world No.4
Top-seeded Greece’s Tsitsipas takes on Bulgaria’s former No.3 Dimitrov on Thursday, December 29, at RAC Arena.
On day one in Brisbane, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist and recently crowned Billie Jean King Cup winner Belinda Bencic of Switzerland will meet Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva at Pat Rafter Arena. Players for each country are now named.
