United Cup: Not the big hit yet?
The first edition of the United Cup is well received by the Australian public. But things are not quite complete yet.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Jan 03, 2023, 04:24 pm
Who knows what alternatives there would be on a Monday night in Sydney, but one thing can be said for sure: the Ken Rosewall Arena was filled to the last seat at the meeting between Rafael Nadal and Alex de Minaur. Of course: one of the great legends of the sport is playing against a local hero - if the hut isn't full, then when will it be? But even in Perth at the meeting between Stefanos Tsitsipas and David Goffin, at least the lower tier was well occupied.
So can the United Cup already be considered a success?
Not so fast. First off, Australia is a country that has an amazingly enthusiastic and large base of sports fans. And these fans traditionally make the most of the tennis month of January Down Under. The fact that the grandstands are well to very well occupied is also known from times when there was a traditionally strong men's and/or women's tournament in Brisbane.
Zverev, Tsitsipas, Swiatek in mixed
The United Cup has not only taken over the weaknesses of the ATP Cup, which was abolished after three editions. But even more so. And that's the lack of depth in most rosters. With the exception of the USA, there is basically not a single team that starts four players who would be suspicious of being able to reach the second week in Grand Slam tournaments.
The Norwegian team is a one-man show in persona Casper Ruud, with Greece Stefanos Tsitsipas and Maria Sakkari leading the way, but behind them there is a deep abyss.
The fact that the international fights last two days also takes some getting used to. But it doesn't necessarily have to be bad. After all, the viewers are guaranteed to be presented with four matches at the three locations Brisbane, Sydney and Perth, so one can only complain that the eternally young hit Zizou Bergs against Dimitar Kuzmanov is not at the top of the bucket list of most aficionados.
The real improvement compared to the ATP Cup is probably the introduction of the mixed doubles at the end. At least in terms of entertainment value. And then you have to praise the individual pros like Iga Swiatek, Alexander Zverev, Hubert Hurkacz, Maria Sakkari or Stefanos Tsitsipas, who also set themselves the task when the matches had already been decided.