The 12 countries set to compete in the second edition of the ATP Cup, taking place in Melbourne the week prior to the Australian Open (which begins Feb. 8), were assigned to four groups at the official tournament draw on Friday.
Top seed Serbia (and last years champion country’s), headlined by world No.1 Novak Djokovic, will lead Group A, which will also consist of Germany and Canada. One year ago, Serbia beat Spain to take the inaugural ATP Cup trophy in Sydney.
Canada, lead by Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic (no FAA this year), will look to build on an impressive finish at last years event.
“I think it’s exciting,” Shapovalov said of his rematch against Djokovic in Group A. “I had a great match against him last year. I feel confident. I feel like I’m playing really good tennis in practice. Of course, it’s the start of the season so there’s really not many expectations. You just kind of go out there and see where your level is at… It’s really fun to be back out here playing, competing, especially with this group of guys. It’s events like this that I enjoy the most.”
Second seed Spain, which finished runner-up in 2020, will aim to move through Group B, which includes Greece and host country Australia. World No.2 Rafael Nadal leads the way for his country for the second consecutive year.
Austria, headed by world No.3 Dominic Thiem, will look to advance through Group C against Italy and France. Fourth seed Russia, headlined by reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Daniil Medvedev, will try to do the same in Group D, which includes Argentina and Japan.
Following the group stage, the four group winners will advance to the knock-out semifinals to continue battling for the prestigious title.
The 2021 ATP Cup will feature 12 of the Top 13 players in the FedEx ATP Rankings. Each country will consist of four players, with each tie comprising of two singles matches and one doubles match.
Works Cited
https://ausopen.com/articles/news/groups-announced-2021-atp-cup
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/atp-cup-2021-canada-shapovalov-raonic-interview