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Because the difficult first quarter of the 2021 tennis season will get underway this week, the lineup for the ATP Cup 2021 has been confirmed. The event is ready to happen from 1 to five February as a tune-up for the Australian Open, which kicks off on 8 February.
The 2021 version of the ATP Cup – simply the second ever – is ready to function among the greatest names within the males’s recreation. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal and World No. 3 Dominic Thiem are going to steer their respective nations on the multi-team occasion.
Defending champions Serbia will probably be led by Novak Djokovic, with Dusan Lajovic, Filip Krajinovic and Nikola Cacic for firm. Final 12 months’s runners-up Spain in the meantime will function 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in addition to prime singles stars Roberto Bautista Agut and Pablo Carreno Busta.
After failing to impress on the inaugural version of the ATP Cup, US Open champion Dominic Thiem will hope to carry out higher for Austria this time round. Thiem will probably be joined by countrymen Denis Novak and Philipp Oswald in Melbourne Park.
The complete listing of gamers will be seen here.
Alexander Zverev (Germany), Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev (Russia), Kei Nishikori (Japan), Gael Monfils (France), Denis Shapovalov (Canada) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) are additionally set to function for his or her respective international locations.
Notable exceptions from the sphere embrace Karen Khachanov (Russia), Nick Kyrgios (Australia), Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) and Jannik Sinner (Italy). These 4 gamers are prone to function within the ATP 250 occasions as an alternative, to be held in Melbourne the identical week.
Qualification for the ATP Cup is predicated on the rating of every nation’s highest-placed singles participant. Australia, nonetheless, certified by advantage of the host wild card.
To take care of the issues introduced in by the pandemic, this 12 months’s ATP Cup options 12 groups versus final 12 months’s 24.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on the cusp of historical past in 2021
The tennis fraternity – in addition to the world basically – has been jolted since Novak Djokovic and Serbia’s triumph on the ATP Cup final 12 months. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many event cancellations, monetary difficulties and cases of gamers backing out of occasions.
Nonetheless, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s hegemony on the summit of males’s tennis has remained intact. The Serb completed the 12 months as World No. 1 for a record-equaling sixth time (tying Pete Sampras), and is now on the verge of constructing extra historical past by breaking Roger Federer’s document for many weeks at No. 1. Djokovic is now at 302 weeks, and will cross Federer’s complete of 310 by the primary week of March.
Rafael Nadal, nonetheless, might show to be a thorn within the Serb’s facet. The Spaniard himself is knocking on the doorways of historical past after the World No. 2 equaled Roger Federer’s document of 20 Grand Slam titles with a historic thirteenth French Open triumph.
Though chances of Rafael Nadal overtaking Novak Djokovic are slim, profitable the trophy in Melbourne would make him the out-and-out record-holder for Main titles. It could additionally make him the primary man since Roy Emerson to have gained two titles at every Grand Slam occasion.
Printed 05 Jan 2021, 14:53 IST
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