ATP Cup adds to crowded tennis dates before Australian Open

Roger Federer won't be playing until Australian Open, but summer of tennis Down Under ahe of first Grand Slam of 2020 will be a little more hectic for everybody else. Kicking off on Friday with start of new 24-team, Davis Cup-style ATP Cup in three cities across Australia, players will have a host of options to m on both ATP and WTA tours.

Federer and Switzerland aren't involved in ATP Cup, but . 1-ranked Rafael Nal and . 2 vak Djokovic will be representing Spain and Serbia, respectively. . 3 Federer wants to spend more time with his family before start of Australian Open on Jan. 20 in Melbourne. When ATP Cup concludes on Jan. 12, Djokovic is scheduled to play at elaide International, a joint ATP-WTA tournament that includes world . 1 women's player Ash Barty of Australia. Also in that week across Tasman Sea in New Zealand will be ATP's Auckland Open.

Brisbane International, formerly a joint ATP-WTA event, will be a women's only tournament this year with hometown star Barty among a group of heliners also including Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka, beginning next Monday. Venus Williams, who h been given a wild card for Brisbane, pulled out with an undisclosed training “setback”on Wednesday. She still hopes to play in elaide. Also on WTA Tour, ASB Classic next week has secured a bit of a coup with Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, who will retire after Australian Open, scheduled to attend and play singles as well as doubles toger in New Zealand. Hobart International will be played same week in Australia.

38-year-old Federer, who has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, is only one of top seven players in men's rankings who will t be competing in 10-day ATP Cup in Perth, Brisbane and Sydney. "He's me decision to spend some time with his family and he's obviously a lot more conscious of how much he's playing (as he gets older)," ATP Cup tournament director Tom Larner told Australian Associated Press. "For everything Roger has given to sport we're accepting of that."

Andy Murray will t be appearing for Britain, withdrawing following an injury setback after his return from hip surgery. Australia will play in Brisbane with Germany, Greece and Cana. In or Brisbane group it's Serbia, France, South Africa and Chile. In Sydney, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria and Molodova comprise one group while or contains Argentina, Austria, Croatia and Poland. Perth hosts United States, Russia, Italy and rway and ar group comprising Spain, Japan, Uruguay and Georgia. Kei Nishikori withdrew from Japan team for ATP Cup and from Australian Open.

"I am still t 100% rey to compete at highest level," Nishikori said. He has t competed since U.S. Open because of a right elbow injury that required surgery in October. re are a number of invations to be provided at ATP Cup, including Team Zones, which will replace player chairs near umpire, and on-court coaching where captain, coaches and players can offer input.

Each encounter will be best-of-three, three-set matches — two singles and a doubles. six group winners plus two second-place countries go through to final series in Sydney beginning Jan. 9. World . 15-ranked Denis Shapovalov, a member of Canian team which opens against Greece on Friday, questioned timing of ATP Cup so close to last year's new format for Davis Cup, long-standing men's international team competition. On v. 24, Nal beat Shapovalov to clinch Davis Cup for Spain in Mrid.

20-year-old Shapovalov said ideally re would be only one "world championship" of tennis. “I think it is a little bit strange to have it at a similar time as Davis Cup,” he said. “It would be great just to have one event that is a world championship. It is a weird feeling playing a world championships n coming into ar event that is pretty much same thing. We will see how it pans out.”

re's question in Nal's mind about his objective for new event. “It's a tournament that we want to compete well in, and n we'll have a week before Australian Open for me personally to practice and for some of ors to play in Auckland or elaide,” he said. "So we are very focused on trying to be rey for this competition. “We are a team that gives maximum.”

To d some extra appeal at Auckland WTA event, longtime friends Serena Williams and Wozniacki will play doubles toger for first time. Former . 1 Wozniacki who has started her season in Auckland every year since 2015, has me hardcourt tournament first stop of her short farewell tour. 29-year-old Wozniacki was diagsed with rheumatoid arthritis shortly after she won 2018 Australian Open and will retire from tennis after playing at Melbourne Park this month.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and who was recently named AP Female Athlete of Dece, has t played doubles with anyone or than her sister, Venus since Fed Cup World Group playoff in 2015. Her last WTA tournament in doubles without Venus was in 2002. By time weekend of Feb. 1 and 2 rolls around — finals of women's and men's singles championship at Australian Open — victors may t have been ones who played best during two weeks at Melbourne Park, but those who best mand fast-paced tournament schedule leing up to it.