The ATP Cup and the teams that want to be on top

The world’s finest tennis players will descend upon Australia in January as they bid to lead their countries to glory in the ATP Cup. A total of 24 countries are represented and they will be divided into six groups of four, with the best eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals. The semis will take place at the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney on January 11 and the final will be held the following day. There is $15 million in prize money up for grabs and the prestige is high, so we should expect an entertaining event.

Here are the top teams in contention to lift the trophy:

Spain

Spain should be full of confidence right now after its victory in the Davis Cup Finals in November. The Spaniards benefited from home-court advantage in that tournament, which was held in Madrid, but they displayed a great deal of courage to see off a strong Canadian team in the championship tie. Rafael Nadal is the talisman of this team and he sealed the Davis Cup title with a victory over Denis Shapovalov in front of the jubilant home crowd. The world No. 1 plays with huge amounts of passion when representing his country and that inspires his teammates to thrive. Roberto Bautista Agut is an excellent No. 2 singles player and Pablo Carreno Busta completes a strong team, so Spain will take some stopping at the ATP Cup.

Serbia

Serbia is the top seed for this tournament thanks to Djokovic’s ATP world rankings at the entry deadline. Djokovic is joined by Dusan Lakovic and Nikola Milojevic. The Serbs crashed out of the Davis Cup at the quarterfinal stage after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Russia, and they will need to generate a significant improvement if they are to triumph in Sydney. Sixteen-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic was clearly devastated after that result and he will be keen to banish that memory by leading his team to victory Down Under. He is the favorite in the Australian Open tennis odds at the top sportsbooks monitored by respected platform Sportsbook Review, and this represents the perfect opportunity for him to get in shape for 2020’s first major. He will just have to hope that his teammates can come close to matching his high standards.

Russia

The Russians reached the semifinals of the Davis Cup and they will be keen to improve upon that showing in Australia. Russia has just been hit with a four-year Olympics ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency, but it will be represented at the ATP Cup. The main man is the exciting youngster Daniil Medvedev, who is third in the betting for the Australian Open behind only Djokovic and Nadal and ahead of Roger Federer. He has been on a real upward curve in recent months and Karen Khachanov is another top player, but there may be doubts over Teymuraz Gabashvili.

France

The French arguably had the best all-around team of anyone at the tournament based on initial entires. Gael Monfils, Lucas Pouille, and Benoit Paire are all in the top 25 in the ATP world rankings and France also boasts a strong record in team tournaments. Pouille, however, is out due to injury and the Frenchmen have landed in a tough group along with Serbia, South Africa, and Chile. Still, they have the quality to reach the quarterfinals and they can then cause problems for any opponents. France was unlucky not to progress further in November’s Davis Cup and it will have a point to prove in Australia.

The Rest

Dominic Thiem leads a dangerous Austrian team that also features Dennis Novak and Sebastian Ofner. They have landed in a tricky group alongside Croatia, Argentina, and Poland, but if they can escape that then they will really have the wind in their sails. Austria did not make the Davis Cup, losing 3-2 to Chile in the qualifying round, so that may set alarm bells ringing for their fans.

Germany features Alexander Zverev and a reasonably strong supporting cast, so they may be a threat to the favorites. An Italian team boasting Matteo Berrettini and Fabio Fognini looks interesting. The Greeks can call upon the services of Stefanos Tsitsipas, but they look a little weak elsewhere. Another team to look out for is Australia, with Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios, and John Millman—all top 50 players. If Kyrgios comes up big on this big stage, they will be genuine contenders for glory.