Nick Kyrgios is in line for a pre-Australian Open blockbuster with defending champion Rafael Nadal after Australia was drawn in the identical pool as Spain for the inaugural United Cup.
Alex de Minaur and Jason Kubler had been the opposite males’s singles gamers named in Australia’s eight-strong line-up for the $US15 million ($A23m) blended groups’ occasion from December 29 to January 8.
But it will likely be Kyrgios getting a crack at Nadal after the Wimbledon finalist secured Australia’s year-end prime rating when de Minaur was unable to achieve the quarter-finals of final week’s Paris Masters.
Under United Cup guidelines, the 2 nations’ No.1s will conflict, with the respective No.2s to function plus two ladies’s singles match-ups decided on the identical foundation.
A blended doubles encounter may doubtlessly determine the five-match ties.
Kyrgios may additionally pair up with outdated flame Ajla Tomljanovic after the three-times grand slam finalist was named because the No.1 feminine within the Australian group alongside Zoe Hives, Maddison Inglis and doubles stars John Peers and Samantha Stosur.
But it will likely be Kyrgios’s showdown with Nadal that may doubtless promote out Ken Rosewall Arena after Group C and Group D – which contains the USA, Germany and Great Britain – had been drawn to play the round-robin levels in Sydney.
Kyrgios and Nadal had been slated to fulfill on this 12 months’s Wimbledon semi-finals earlier than the good Spaniard was pressured to tug out with an stomach tear.
Kyrgios predicted their showstopper could be “the most-watched match of all time”.
United Cup officers additionally revealed ladies’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek could be one other headline performer on the maiden working of the brand new summer-opening occasion.
Team Greece, led by world No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas and the sixth-ranked Maria Sakkari, had been named prime seeds.
Swiatek and world No.11 Hubert Hurkacz will spearhead second-seeded Poland, with third seeds the USA that includes a wealth of expertise together with world No.3 Jessica Pegula, ninth-ranked Taylor Fritz, world No.11 Madison Keys and charismatic US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe.
Nadal will group up with world No.13 Paula Badosa for Spain, whereas rising tennis powerhouse Italy can name on 2021 Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini and rising star Martina Trevisan.
France spherical out the highest six seeds, led by Arthur Rinderknech and WTA Finals winner and world No.4 Caroline Garcia.
Other notable entries embody Norway’s world No.4 Casper Ruud, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, and Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Stan Wawrinka, together with twin Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.
The prime six WTA ranking-qualified international locations, prime 5 ATP ranking-qualified international locations and the highest 5 mixed entry international locations have been admitted to the competitors.
The closing two nations (one ATP and one mixed entry) will likely be admitted to the competitors on November 21.
Brisbane, Perth and Sydney will every host two teams of three international locations competing in a round-robin format from December 29 to January 4.
The winners of every group will play off, with the town winners advancing to the United Cup’s closing 4 in Sydney from January 6-8.
The subsequent finest performing group from the group levels will full the quartet.
UNITED CUP DRAW:
PERTH
A: Greece, Belgium, ATP 6
F: France, Croatia, Argentina
SYDNEY
C: USA, Germany, Czech Republic
D: Spain, Australia, Great Britain
BRISBANE
B: Poland, Switzerland, Combined 6
E: Italy, Brazil, Norway
