The next tennis season will start with a new mixed event, the United Cup, organized in Australia between December 29 and January 8, the men’s and women’s international associations (ATP and WTA) announced this Thursday.
The United Cup will have 15 million dollars (15 million euros) in prizes and will allow points for the world ranking, said the authorities that govern the men’s and women’s circuits of the world’s elite tennis.
Divided between Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, the new competition will feature 18 countries, each represented by a maximum of eight players (four men and four women).
According to the rules, the competition will have a first phase (29 December to 4 January) with the 18 countries divided into six groups of three, with two male representatives, two female representatives and a mixed pair.
The cities of Brisbane, Perth and Sydney will each host two games from the six groups.
In each of the three cities, the winners of the two groups will face each other and the top three countries will play in the next round in Sydney (6-8 January). A fourth country, the best ranked in the first phase, will complete the final four.
The final is scheduled for January 8, eight days before the start of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam event of the new season.
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