It’s the most captivating innovation to hit tennis for years, and it’s back to kick off the Australian summer in gripping, new and improved style.

It’s the United Cup, the $10 million dual-gender teams tournament that brings together 18 nations and some of the best talent on the planet for singles and mixed doubles, for fans who love their tennis even more with a patriotic twist.

The six-group tournament runs like a mini World Cup of tennis. Each singles rubber is played in a best-of-three sets format; mixed doubles matches comprise two tiebreak sets with a deciding match tiebreak if scores are locked at one set all. Singles matches are contested by countries’ top-ranked players.

Nine of the world’s top 20 men and five of the women’s top 10 will take part in the Cup, featuring 75 matches in total – 25 men’s singles, 25 women’s singles, and 25 mixed doubles.

Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Alex de Minaur Jessica Pegula and Ajla Tomljanovic are just some of the biggest names in tennis who’ve committed so to 10-day Cup far.

THE 2023-24 UNITED CUP IS HELD IN AUSTRALIA FROM DEC 29-JAN 7

And with Australia drawn in a “group of death” with reigning champions the USA and Britain, de Minaur and his English girlfriend Katie Boulter might yet confront each other across the net – a tantalising mixed doubles match that would overhead smash the notion there’s no romance in tennis any more.

The nine-group tournament runs like a mini World Cup of tennis, and its second edition – from December 29 to January 7 – promises even more punch than last summer’s widely-hailed inaugural staging.

The number of host cities has been streamlined, with Brisbane making way while Sydney and Perth each host three groups of three teams. Australia’s Group C will be based in Perth, where matches will take place at the 15,500-seat RAC Arena.

Spanning the two timezones makes for a an ideal TV viewing experience, especially in late nights on east coast at a time when, let’s face it, there’s not a lot on the box.

And each tie will be played in a more concentrated, self-contained, form.

Last summer they comprised five matches – two singles rubbers each for men and women and one mixed doubles – and were stretched over two sessions, on successive days.

Now, all will be revealed in a single, three-match session, with just one men’s singles match, followed by a women’s singles rubber, before the concluding mixed doubles.

All six group-toppers progress to the quarter finals, along with the best-performed runner-up from each city.

Quarter-finals will be played in Perth and Sydney from January 3, before the semis and final in the Harbour City on the weekend of January 6-7.

“It’s a great way to kick off the summer of tennis,” says Australian former pro-turned-commentator Wally Masur.

“Teams tennis is an amazing environment, with so much emotion and camaraderie involved, and each tie promises to be really tight and absorbing.

“The way it is now, with two singles matches and then a mixed doubles to decide things, it brings a lot of countries closer together in terms of competition.

“The format gives smaller countries a bigger opportunity, and the fans will get a result in the one session.”

Masur says the timing of the United Cup was also perfect for helping draw many of the world’s finest players at the start of their campaigns leading to the Australian Open at Melbourne Park from January 14.

“Usually, the very best players don’t play in the week or even the fortnight before a major,” the dual grand slam semi-finalist and Davis Cup stalwart said.

“But at the start of the season, everybody wants to get some matches in, and with the United Cup being round robin as opposed to the usual knock-out in mainstream tournaments, irrespective of what team they’re in, players are going to get a good few matches in.

“Also this summer, after years of things being changed up because of Covid, I think we can say we’re fully back to a traditional summer of tennis. There are tournaments in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth, Sydney and of course Melbourne, plus Canberra will host two strong Challenger tournaments. Everyone’s going to get top-flight tennis.”

Let’s take a look …

WHAT IS IT?

The United Cup, an 18-nation teams’ event comprising a round robin group stage, quarter-finals, semis and final.

WHERE IS IT?

Sydney and Perth. Each city hosts three three-team groups and quarter-finals, before the final four teams play off in Sydney.

WHEN’S IT ON

Group action starts in Perth on December 29, and in Sydney on December 30. The quarters begin on January 3. The semis on Saturday, January 6, and the final tie a day later.

There are day sessions and night sessions in both Perth and Sydney. And unlike year one, when fans would have to watch/attend two sessions over two days to see a complete tie, everything will be decided in the one session.

HOW’S IT WORK?

Eighteen countries qualify – six based on the ATP ranking of their top male player, and six for their top-ranked woman on the WTA list. The final six qualify based on the combined ranking of their highest-ranked man and woman. Organisers announced the first 16 qualifiers in late October, with the last two to be confirmed in late November.

The teams are seeded – with the top six kept apart in separate groups – based on the combined rankings, at time of entry, of their top-ranked male and female players.

And so, unlikely as it may have sounded only a couple of years ago, the top seeds are – Poland. That’s thanks to the all-conquering Iga Swiatek, who was the WTA’s No.2, and Hubert Hurkacz, who was the ATP’s No11, when the teams were confirmed in late October.

Greece – who’ll have plenty of fans in the stands in Sydney – are the second seeds thanks to world No.6 Maria Sakkari and the seventh-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas. (Those two also add up to 13, so rankings of teammates split the seeding deadlock).

The USA are third seeds. Group rivals Australia are only 15th, but there’s no stat to measure home ground advantage.

Like an 18-team World Cup, the draw is broken up into six groups of three, with all teams in each group playing each other once. Ties can start with either the men’s or the women’s singles match, but must end with the mixed doubles.

Each rubber is played in a best-of-three sets format. Singles matches are contested by countries’ top-ranked players.

After the round robin, the top-placed team from each group goes on to the quarter-finals, plus the second-best runner up in each city.

The two quarter-final winners who’ll travel from Perth to Sydney will have a travel and rest day before their semi.

Each team can have up to six members – three men and three women, and each team has a captain.

WHAT’S IT WORTH?

Lashings of national pride, a $10 million prize pool, but – importantly – ATP and WTA points for the players involved.

Plus there’s the United Cup itself – a hand-crafter silver and gold-plated trophy featuring 36 sweeping rods – to represent the unity of 18 mixed doubles pairings.

THE GROUPS

(Players’ rankings in brackets. DR – Doubles Ranking)

PERTH

RAC Arena – Capacity, 15,500

GROUP A

POLAND (Seeded 1): Men: Hubert Hurkacz (11), Daniel Michalski (256), Jan Zielinski (DR: 22). Women: Iga Swiatek (2), Katarzyna Kawa (217), Katarzyna Piter (DR 67)

The power-packed Poles, semi-finalists in United Cup 1, boast four-time grand slam winner and former world No.1 Swiatek and the ascendant Hurkacz, the lofty 26-year-old whose ranking rose to 11th after his second title of 2023 at October’s Shanghai Masters. Zielinski has three doubles titles, including the Rome Masters of 2023.

Says Wally Masur: “It’s a very good team. Iga’s record speaks for itself. As everyone knows, she’s an awesome player. And Hurkacz is a gun on the rise. He showed at Shanghai he’s a really dangerous player. Poland will be hard to beat.”

SPAIN (11): Men: Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (26), Roberto Carballes-Baena (64), David Vega-Hernandez (DR 100); Women: Sara Sorribes-Tormo (55), Marina Bassols-Ribera (110), Nuria Parrizas-Diaz (135)

Might be missing their big gun, world No.2 Carlos Alcaraz, but still have the talent to spring an upset on their day. Davidovich Fokina reached the semis at the Canada Masters in August, losing to Australia’s Alex de Minaur. And Sorribes-Tormo claimed a doubles title recently at the China Open in October.

TEAM THREE: TBC

GROUP C

USA (3): Men: Taylor Fritz (10), Denis Kudla (183), Rajeev Ram (DR 7); Women: Jessica Pegula (4), Alycia Parks (54), Desirae Krawczyk (11)

The reigning champions and as always a formidable threat. Headed by Pegula and Fritz, who won their singles matches to secure the triumph in the final against Italy here last time, while the 39-year-old evergreen Ram is a former world doubles No.1 with 28 such titles to his name, including the past three US Opens. Pegula also has a current No.1 ranking in doubles, while Krawczyck has won three doubles titles.

Says Masur: “The US are defending champions and when you look at them, it’s no wonder. With their huge population they always have a lot of depth. If they don’t have world No.1s they start scratching their heads. But apart from that, they’ll be awfully good because they play with a lot of spirit as a team.”

GREAT BRITAIN (8): Men: Cam Norrie (18), Dan Evans (34), Neal Skupski (DR 4); Women: Katie Boulter (53), Francesca Jones (307), Maia Lumsden (DR 78)

Headed by Norrie, who has five singles titles in the past three years, including at Rio on clay in 2023, and Dan Evans, who won at Washington in August before the US Open, and beat de Minaur in three sets in the Davis Cup in September in Manchester. Also have Boulter, who throws up the juicy prospect of opposing her beau de Minaur in the mixed doubles.

Says Masur: “It could be the end of a beautiful relationship between those two!

“More seriously, the mixed doubles does add a great element to this tournament, and can helps smaller countries compete with bigger ones.

“Everyone will talk about Australia and the US in this group, but the Brits are no slouches. That said, If ‘Demon’ (de Minaur) had played Norrie 18 months ago, it’d be a close thing. But right now, I’d back Demon.”

AUSTRALIA (15): Men: Alex de Minaur (13), John Millman (217), M Matthew Ebden (DR 6); Women: Ajla Tomljanovic (Protected SR 33), Storm Hunter (157), Ellen Perez (DR 24)

The 24-year-old ‘Demon’ has bloomed in 2023, taking his ranking from 25 in January to a career-high of 11 in early October, after his seventh tournament victory, in Acapulco. The 35-year-old veteran Ebden and Perez have proven themselves in doubles, with Ebden taking nine titles including Indian Wells in 2023 and the 2022 Wimbledon.

Says Masur: “Australia have drawn a tough group, but you really can’t underestimate the effect of home ground advantage, especially when you’re playing for your country.

“The US has depth, but if Demon had to play Fritz tomorrow here in Australia, I’d have my money on the Demon. He’s really come on this year. He had always been good at dispatching a certain band of player, while struggling against the very best. But this year he’s got several wins over top-five players, and his confidence and belief have gone right up.

“Ajla has done it tough, with a lot of time out this year because of her knee injury, but she’s on a good trajectory now, and I’m confident that with a few matches under her belt heading into the summer, she’ll be very competitive.”

GROUP E

CZECH REPUBLIC (5): Men: Jiri Lehecka (30), Vit Kopriva (122), Petr Nouza (DR 97); Women: Marketa Vondrousova (8), Sara Bejlek (209), Miriam Kolodziejova (DR 52)

A dangerous, highly-seeded outfit thanks mostly to 24-year-old Vondrusova, who won Wimbledon in such stirring fashion in 2023 before reaching the quarter-finals at the US Open to soar to her career-high ranking of sixth. And the 21-year-old Lehecka is on the rise, having taken his ranking from 81st in January to 29 in September, in a year in which he made the quarters at the Australian Open.

CHINA (9): Men: Zhang Zhizhen (57), Bu Yunchaokete (179), Sun Fajing (DR 219); Women: Zheng Qinwen (19), You Xiaodi (233)

Perhaps not the most fearsome looking team on paper but again, having a top 20 women’s singles player could spell two wins in a tie in singles and mixed doubles, especially considering Zheng’s singles rival will be outside the top 100. And in mixed doubles, Zheng and Zhang would still have a comined ranking of 76. Even with Novak Djokovic, Serbia’s will still hit triple figures. The Chinese will also have strong crowd support.

SERBIA (13): Men: Novak Djokovic (1), Hamad Medjedovic (102), Nikola Cacic (DR 65); Women: Olga Danilovic (112), Natalija Stevanovic (190), Dejana Radanovic (265)

Serbia have four players with triple-figure singles ranking, and a man whose doubles ranking is 65. But they have one bloke with a single figure ranking, and who’s a bit of a singular figure as well, having won more grand slams than any man in history. Serbia makes their United Cup debut, and this guy could make it special.

Says Masur: “Look, the No.1 woman for Serbia and their No.2 man are outside the top 100. But anytime I see Novak Djokovic’s name, I just see trouble. He’s just such a determined character and finds a way to win nomatter what the format.

“And in teams tennis, having one great player can lift the others. We don’t get to do it that often in tennis, but sometimes for a lesser player to just be around a superstar, to get to know them, to train with them, or they play doubles with you; to get a little taste of that, it’s enormous, and it can really lift you on the day.

“With the United Cup, you have your teammates on the side of the court. For a lower ranked player to look over and see Novak Djokovic sitting there, they’ll always gain confidence from that.”

SYDNEY

Ken Rosewall Arena – Capacity 10,500

GROUP B

GREECE (2): Men: Stefanos Tsitsipas (7), Stefanos Sakellaridis (403), Petros Tsitsipas (DR 110); Women: Maria Sakkari (6), Despina Papamichail (216), Valentini Grammatikopoulou (DR 117)

Another team whose diaspora support will be spirited. Sydney’s large Greek community will be out in force to watch the Hellas, who made the semis last time led by top-tenners Tsitsipas and Sakkari, who teamed in the deciding mixed doubles to clinch the quarter-final over Croatia. Adding a twist is Tsitsipas’s young brother Petros.

Says Masur: “Tsitsipas and Sakkari being in the top 10 is a great achievement for a small country, and they’re both fierce competitors.

“In the women’s football World Cup here, we saw the strength of ethnic communities in multi-cultural Australia, and that will come to the fore again at the United Cup, especially for the Greeks.”

CANADA (7): Men: Felix Auger-Aliassime (17), Alexis Galarneau (186), Adil Shamasdin (DR 200); Women: Leylah Fernandez (43), Stacey Fung (225)

Making their United Cup debut and, despite a high seeding, will be hoping for a little of the boost that a national teams tennis environment can provide. Auger-Aliassime tumbled from a career-high matching ranking of six in March to 19 in late October. Fernandez has struggled to repeat the highs of her US Open final appearance in 2021, and her ranking has slid from a peak of 13 in August, 2022.

TEAM THREE: TBC

GROUP D

FRANCE (4): Men: Adrian Mannarino (24), Antoine Escoffier (135), Edouard Roger-Vasselin (DR 13); Women: Caroline Garcia (10), Amandine Hesse (165), Elixane Lechemia (DR 90)

Have the talent to improve on their group stage exit last time, especially with 2022 US Open semi-finalist Garcia, who was ranked as high as No.4 in January, and has had a doubles ranking of No.2 in the past. Left-hander Mannarino may be 35 but has won two titles in 2023 and has the experience to hold his nerve in the pressure-cooker teams scene. And Roger-Vasselin may be 39, but he’s celebrated three doubles titles in 2023, for 26 in total.

ITALY (12): Men: Lorenzo Sonego (55), Flavio Cobolli (106), Andrea Pellegrino (DR 101); Women: Jasmine Paolini (30), Nuria Brancaccio (206), Angelica Moratelli (DR 98)

Forza Italia! Italy were the surprise packets a year ago, proving far more than the sum of their parts by reaching the final, after blitzing Greece 4-1 in the semis. It’s a completely different team this time, however, missing their big guns of Matteo Berrettini and Martina Trevisan. The 27-year-old Paolini did hit a career high rank of 29 in late October, after reaching the semis in Zhengzhou, China, and the final in Tunisia. Italy could have their work cut out this time, but will again have a lot of support in the stands, and this isn’t exactly a group of death.

GERMANY (16): Men: Alexander Zverev (9), Maximilian Marterer (127), Kai Wehnelt (DR 153); Women: Angelique Kerber (31), Tatjana Maria (57), Laura Siegemund (DR 14)

The Germans have a couple of things going for them: Zverev, and hopefully a determination to do a lot better than last time, when they lost both their ties including a 5-0 drubbing from the US. Zverev, the former world No.2, was coming back from a long time out with an ankle injury, however. The 26-year-old showed he was returning to top form in the back half of 2023 by making the quarter-finals at US Open, and the semis at Beijing. Kerber is a triple grand slam winner but she’s the one on the comeback trail this time, having given birth to a daughter in 2023. Laura Siegemund adds some doubles oomph.

GROUP F

CROATIA (6): Men: Borna Coric (33), Nino Serdarusic (273), Ivan Dodig (DR 2); Women: Donna Vekic (24), Petra Marcinko (140), Tena Lukas (224)

Another team who’ll have strong crowd support. They rode it in Perth last time, taking both group ties before being knocked out by Greece. The women’s stocks appear stronger now thanks to Vekic, whose ranking reached as high as 20 in 2023, from 47 late in 2022, after reaching the quarters at Melbourne Park. Coric is back again, and while he slipped from No.14 to 33 after first round exits at Wimbledon and the US Open, he did make the semis at Winston-Salem in August.

NETHERLANDS (10): Men: Tallon Griekspoor (25), Thiemo De Bakker (715), Wesley Koolhof (DR 3), Women: Arantxa Rus (51), Arianne Hartono (166), Demi Schuurs (DR 16)

Age shall not weary them! The debutant Dutch team is a vote for experience, with Griekspoor and Hartono the spring chickens at 27. De Bakker is 35, and while Koolhof is a doubles gun, he’s also 34. The emerging Griekspoor will be their main weapon, having reached finals at ’s-Hertogenbosch and Washington in 2023 to boost a ranking which started the year at No.95. Rus had a bit of a break-out 2023, winning at Hamburg, while Koolhof and Schuurs have strong doubles form.

NORWAY (14): Men: Casper Ruud (8), Andreja Petrovic (1226), Nicolai Budkov Kjaer (Junior ranking 23); Women: Malene Helgo (351), Ulrikke Eikeri (654)

Wow. If we thought Djokovic was a stand-out for Serbia, have a look at Ruud. Three of his team members have a combined ranking of 2,231, another – Kjaer – is a 17-year-old junior, and they couldn’t come up with a sixth. Ruud is a fine player, has been a world No.2 and made the French Open final in 2023. But he can’t do everything himself. Norway have “underdog” written all over them, and will probably need a stronger touch of the “teams tennis miracle” than most.