Australia’s newest major tennis tournament returns for its second year, with the sport’s best set to face off in two different cities on both sides of the country.
Drawing in big names such as Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitipas and Iga Swiatek, is the upcoming United Cup — the replacement event for the recently shut down ATP Cup.
It will see 18 countries made of up to six players each, battle it out in a round-robin format on hardcourt surfaces to decide the United Cup champion. The United States won the inaugural event back in January 2023.
As the main lead-in tournament for the Australian Open, you can expect to see some of the world’s best suit up in preparation for the first Grand Slam of 2024, with players from countries such as Spain, Poland, the USA and Great Britain headlining the return of the event.
Set to be held over New Years, the United Cup will be Australian tennis fans’ first chance to see the best in the world descend down under.
With an exciting competition headed our way, here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 United Cup.
When and where is the upcoming United Cup?
December 29 – January 7, in Perth and Sydney
WHERE: In Sydney the action will be held at Ken Rosewall Arena at Sydney’s Olympic Park, while in Perth it will be played at RAC Arena, the home of the Perth Wildcats.
WHEN: The United Cup this time around starts December 29 in Perth, with the first of the group-stage matches. The other group-stage matches begin in Sydney the following day, December 30.
The action in Perth will finish with the quarterfinals on January 3, and continue on in Sydney until crowning the United Cup champion on January 7.
There will be plenty of tennis to watch for fans on each coast of Australia with a whopping total of 75 matches – 50 singles and 25 mixed doubles.
How to get tickets to the United Cup
Tennis Australia has made sure the United Cup is an affordable event to attend with tickets from $40 AUD fro adults.
Get your tickets to the 2024 United Cup here.
What is the United Cup draw?
Each city will host three groups during the pool stage with Perth holding Group A, C and E. While Sydney has Group B, D and F.
Perth
Group A | Poland | Spain | TBC |
Group C | USA | Great Britain | Australia |
Group E | Czech Republic | China | Serbia |
Sydney
Group B | Greece | Canada | TBC |
Group D | France | Italy | Germany |
Group F | Croatia | Netherlands | Norway |
The winner of every group will go through to the quarterfinals, while the remaining two spots are awarded to the best runner-up in each city.
Who will be playing at the United Cup?
There will be over 100 players taking part in the 2024 United Cup, headlined by men’s world number ones Novak Djokovic and women’s world number two Iga Swiatek.
Djokovic’s Serbia will play their pool stage matches in Perth where big crowds are expected to flock ton RAC Arena to see the 24-time Grand Slam champion in action.
In Sydney, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas will be the major attraction along with two-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber headlining the women’s players.
The Australian team, who play their group stage matches in Perth, are lead by Alex de Minaur and Ajla Tomljanovic.
Currently the other four players are John Millman, Matt Ebden, Storm Hunter and Ellen Perez – however this may change but unlikely.
What is the United Cup and how does it work?
Unlike most of the standard tennis tournaments that centre on individuals hunting ranking points, the United Cup is an exciting round-robin competition where players play in teams based on their countries.
At the 2024 United Cup there will be 18 countries represented; with each team consisting of up to six members. A maximum of three ATP players (men) and three WTA players (women).
National pride will be on the line, along with a share of a $10 million purse, plus up to 500 ranking points.
Qualifying for the United Cup is based on the nations of the top five men’s and women’s players, according to ATP and WTA rankings.
The remaining teams earned entry based on combined men’s and women’s rankings.
The tournament centres around ‘ties’ which are essentially a three match series between two countries – one men’s, one women’s and finished off with a mixed doubles match.
In order to win your tie in the United Cup, a team needs to win at least two of the three matches within the tie to secure victory and progress in the tournament.
There are six groups of three teams that compete in the round-robin matches that decide who goes through to the finals.
How do the finals work?
Once all the group play is finished, the teams that top each group progress through to the quarterfinals, with the two remaining spots awarded to the best-performed group runner-up team from both Perth and Sydney.
The quarterfinals will be the final ties played in Perth, before all action moves to Sydney.
Winners will then play the semi-finals in Sydney on January 6, before the two teams are decided for the United Cup final on January 7.