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The 2021 tennis motion might have gotten below method hundreds of miles away—in Delray Seaside and Antalya—however many eyes are already firmly targeted on Melbourne, the place the herculean efforts of Tennis Australia and the Victoria authorities will help a full month of excellent competitors.
After all, the decision-making for gamers earlier than the mid-January convergence on Melbourne for 2 weeks of quarantine has been tough, as characterised by Andy Murray’s causes for declining his wild card at this week’s Delray Seaside in Florida:
“Given the rise in Covid charges and the transatlantic flights concerned, I wish to minimise the dangers forward of the Australian Open.”
Fellow Briton Dan Evans additionally withdrew, together with Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic, leaving the 22-ranked Cristian Garin and No25 John Isner to move the 28-man subject. Within the one-off Antalya occasion in Turkey, there have been related withdrawals, together with Jannik Sinner and Borna Coric, although the 32-man draw boasts an excellent line-up of three top-20 gamers—Matteo Berrettini, David Goffin and Fabio Fognini—plus No23 Alex de Minaur.
Nevertheless, many of the top-ranked males within the sport are preserving their powder dry till they attain Australia and full their 14 days of quarantine. And with good motive. The ATP Cup is that this 12 months lowered to 12 groups, with all matches pressured to play in Melbourne relatively than the three areas it featured final 12 months.
Qualification for this occasion—boasting probably the most factors and prize-money of the three occasions performed within the week earlier than the Australian Open—is predicated on the rating of every nation’s prime singles participant. Australia, as host, takes the twelfth spot, leaving 11 gamers to steer their nation into the draw.
As soon as No5 Roger Federer pulled out of the Australian swing, Switzerland missed the minimize, although Japan will get a spot by way of Nishikori, whose lowly No41 rank is boosted by his protected rating. He performed solely six matches final 12 months following elbow surgical procedure.
Nevertheless, an additional place is created among the many 11 courtesy of Russia’s robust, youthful presence within the prime 10: Daniil Medvedev, at No4, ended 2020 with back-to-back titles on the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals, whereas compatriot Andrey Rublev, ranked No8, gained 5 titles final 12 months.
Into that house, subsequently, strikes No12 Denis Shapovalov, who made a giant impression alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime to make the quarters final 12 months. This time, he’s joined by No14 Raonic, and so Canada may make one other deep run this 12 months.
Russia can be certain to be a formidable staff, whereas Italy boasts two top-20 males, and France has two within the prime 30, however defending champions Serbia and aspiring champions Spain, would be the ones to beat.
World No1 Novak Djokovic started an outstanding 2020 by profitable all seven ATP Cup matches, together with beating Rafael Nadal within the ultimate, and is now heading inexorably to one in every of his key profession targets, the Federer file of 310 weeks as No1. On this match, he enjoys appreciable Serbian depth, too, with team-mates Dusan Lajovic and Filip Krajinovic, ranked 26 and 30 respectively.
But when that’s spectacular, the Spanish line-up remains to be extra so. No2 Nadal is joined by No13 Roberto Bautista Agut and No15 Pablo Carreno Busta.
The primary ranked participant to overlook out on the ATP Cup is Goffin, who will headline the ATP250, Melbourne 1, together with world No20 Karen Khachanov, who has been eased out of the Russia Cup staff by two even higher-ranked males. This match, which debuted final 12 months in Adelaide, will function eight top-40 gamers, together with excellent teenager Sinner.
The following man to overlook out on the ATP Cup, as soon as Federer withdrew, is Stan Wawrinka, and he’ll prime the draw of the one-off Melbourne 2, an additional occasion launched to offer gamers the utmost alternative to get severe match-play forward of the Australian Open. Certainly, as every of the Melbourne 250s have a 48-man drawn, nearly all the prime 100 will get an opportunity to compete.
Wawrinka is joined by Grigor Dimitrov, Auger-Aliassime, Coric, Marin Cilic and Nick Kyrgios.
ATP Cup line-up (with top-12 rankings)
The draw will happen on 20 January, when the 12 groups will likely be divided into 4 teams of three for the round-robins. 4 group winners advance to the semi-finals.
1. Serbia: Djokovic (No1), Lajovic, Krajinovic, Cacic
2. Spain: Nadal (No2), Bautista Agut, Granollers, Carreno Busta
3. Austria: Thiem (No3), Novak, Oswald, Weissborn
4. Russia: Medvedev (No4), Rublev (No8), Karatsev, Donskoy
5. Greece: Stefanos Tsitsipas (No6), Pervolarakis, Kalovelonis, Petros Tsitsipas
6. Germany: Zverev (No7), Struff, Krawietz, Mies
7. Argentina: Schwartzman (No9), Pella, Zeballos, Gonzalez
8. Italy: Berrettini (No10), Fognini, Bolelli, Vavassori
9. Japan: Nishikori (PR), Nishioka, McLachlan, Matsui
10. France: Monfils (No11), Paire, Mahut, Roger-Vasselin
11. Canada: Shapovalov (No12), Raonic, Polansky, Diez
12. Australia (wild card): de Minaur, Millman, Friends, Saville
Revised WTA and ATP schedule
The remainder of the spring schedule has now been launched, and takes account of the cancellation of Indian Wells in March. The BNP Paribas Open was the primary match to be cancelled in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic, and it continues to work with the ATP and WTA to safe one other slot later this 12 months.
That has left room to reschedule tournaments that had been affected by the three-week delay within the begin date of the Australian Open, most notably the primary large indoor occasion in Rotterdam and the celebrated Dubai Obligation Free.
5-13 January
Delray Seaside [ATP]
Antalya [ATP]
Abu Dhabi [WTA]
10-13 January
Australian Open qualifying [ATP Doha; WTA Dubai]
16-30 January
Quarantine [Melbourne]
31 January-6 February
Melbourne 1 and a couple of [ATP and WTA]
ATP Cup [Melbourne]
8-21 February
Australian Open
Melbourne 3 [WTA]
22 February
Cordoba [ATP]
Montpellier [ATP]
1 March
Doha [WTA]
Lyon [WTA]
Rotterdam [ATP]
Buenos Aires [ATP]
8 March
Dubai [WTA]
Guadalajara [WTA]
Santiago [ATP]
Marseille [ATP]
Doha [ATP]
15 March
St Petersburg [WTA]
Monterrey [WTA]
Acapulco [ATP]
Dubai [ATP]
22 March
Miami [WTA and ATP]
Remaining calendars proceed as deliberate
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