World No.four Stefanos Tsitsipas has hailed the arrival of the United Cup, and he hopes Greece will change into the inaugural champions.
The event was dealt a giant blow on Wednesday when drawcard Nick Kyrgios pulled out of the mixed-team occasion.
However there’ll nonetheless be loads of star energy, led by 22-time males’s grand slam winner Rafael Nadal and girls’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek.
Tsitsipas was an enormous fan of the Hopman Cup, and he loves the truth that the United Cup can be a mixed-team occasion.
Every tie will embrace two males’s singles matches, two ladies’s singles matches, and a combined doubles contest.
Greece, boasting the likes of Tsitsipas and world No.6 Maria Sakkari, are the No.1 seeds.
Not like the Hopman Cup, rating factors are on supply for the United Cup, and Tsitsipas hopes the event is right here to remain.
“I am glad that the United Cup is a factor now. We have been discussing this for a really very long time, combining it with the ladies,” Tsitsipas mentioned.
“They deserve a spot on this competitors as effectively. It is very nice to hitch forces and make this factor come collectively for each genders.”
The withdrawal of Kyrgios is a significant blow to Australia’s hopes of successful, and can heap additional strain on Alex de Minaur to supply the products.
Australia’s marketing campaign begins on Thursday evening towards Nice Britain in Sydney.
De Minaur will tackle world No.14 Cameron Norrie, whereas world No.772 Zoe Hives will fly the Australian flag towards Katie Swan.
“I am fairly disillusioned. He attracts some crowds. I used to be trying ahead to taking part in him,” Norrie mentioned of Kyrgios’ exit.
“However (it is) even higher for us. We nonetheless have a troublesome opponent towards Demon (de Minaur).”
Greek star Tsitsipas faces an intriguing conflict with skilled Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in Perth.
Day one additionally options the US taking up the Czech Republic in Sydney, France towards Argentina in Perth, and match-ups between Italy and Brazil, and Switzerland and Kazakhstan in Brisbane.
France’s Alize Cornet is already a fan favourite in Western Australia after producing a sequence of combating shows on the Hopman Cup.
The 32-year-old begins her marketing campaign towards Argentine Maria Carle on Thursday evening, and she or he has loads of fond reminiscences of Perth.
“I gained the Hopman Cup in 2014 and the Fed Cup in 2019,” Cornet mentioned.
“Yesterday after we had our first hit on heart courtroom with Caroline (Garcia), we had a bit second of feelings coming again on this courtroom.
“It was very highly effective, this group expertise, and this pleasure of successful the Fed Cup.
“So I hope this fortunate allure goes to behave on this group, as a result of … now we have a extremely good group to go far within the event.”
