Sam Stosur has described the United Cup as a “huge step forward” for tennis and expects the most effective model of Nick Kyrgios when Australia locks horns with Spain.
Stosur has been named taking part in co-captain for Australia alongside fellow US Open winner Lleyton Hewitt within the new, combined groups occasion set for Brisbane, Sydney and Perth.
It replaces the boys’s ATP Cup and combined Hopman Cup: women and men from 18 nations to play for rankings factors in a staff atmosphere to launch Australia’s summer time of tennis from December 29.
Australia will play Rafael Nadal-led Spain in Sydney and Stosur admits the prospect of sharing the captain’s bench with Hewitt – and probably the courtroom with Nick Kyrgios or Alex de Minaur – is thrilling.
“There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about the (ATP and WTA) tours combining or doing more together,” she mentioned.
“This – playing for something, your country, for points – it’s fantastic, a huge step forward for our sport and you never know where it can go from here.”
The Hopman Cup, lengthy a Perth staple, might be reborn in France later subsequent 12 months however Stosur mentioned this might be “like a superstar, hyped up version of that”.
Retired from singles, Stosur will possible inject herself for combined doubles motion with any of Australia’s No.1 Kyrgios, de Minaur, Jason Kubler or John Peers.
Ajla Tomljanovic, Maddison Inglis and Zoe Hives spherical out the staff, whereas Stosur will share the bench with Hewitt, 10 years after taking part in combined doubles with the previous world No.1 on the London Olympics.
“I’ll want to put myself in, but you do what’s good for the team on the day,” Stosur mused of her twin position.
“Playing with Nick would be an incredible experience … and I’ve always loved watching Alex play, the way he goes about it is phenomenal.”
Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios did not function in Australia’s current cost to the Davis Cup last, the mercurial expertise a no-show for 3 successive years within the occasion regardless of his attraction to the staff atmosphere.
He is presently competing in a profitable Saudi Arabia exhibition match and can return residence for a much-hyped date with Nadal.
It might be their first conflict because the Spaniard retired with damage to scupper a Wimbledon semi-final blockbuster date with the Australian.
“Its no secret he loves the team environment and playing in a group brings out some of his best tennis,” Stosur mentioned.
Each metropolis will host two teams of three nations competing in a round-robin format after which play a metropolis last, with the winners of these plus the next-best staff advancing to the United Cup Final Four in Sydney from January 6-8.
Greece, led by world No.3 Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari, are the highest seeds whereas Poland’s girls’s world No.1 Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz (No.11) are second.
Nadal, Casper Rudd, Alexander Zverev, Jessica Pegula and Stan Wawrinka can even play for his or her respective nations, nonetheless Novak Djokovic might be a notable absentee after Serbia didn’t qualify.
